Heart Of Shadows SSHG
by Severus Sortiarius
Summary: A new decree from The Ministry of Magic had the Order of Phoenix up in arms, especially when the arrival of said decree takes place during the time Hermione Granger, a fellow member of The Order is to come of age and increases The Dark Lord's plot to eradicate the Muggle-Borns from the wizarding world...Enter Severus Snape...to protect her from a fate worse than death...
1. Prologue:Chastened Shadows

_**Heart Of Shadows SSHG**_

 **A SS/HG fanfic by Severus Sortiarius**

 **A/N:I OWN NOTHING, This is for my amusement and others if you feel so incline to venture with me...The Characters and all rights Belong to J.K. Rowling, but I like to venture into her playground...particularly when it comes to a certain Potions Master...No Money is being made off this...and I'm quite alright with that...Stress relief and letting my imagination run wild is all I care about here...and of course Reviews...I'll try and watch my spelling but it does tend to go awry in the heat of the moment when typing so bare with me...RATED M and it's not changing...I won't be as descriptive as some other writers out of respect to the characters, but I will make them HUMAN.**

 **WARNING: Contains Mature Content...M FOR MATURE...Violence, Sexual Content, Nudity, Language, ect...**

 **{A new decree from The Ministry of Magic had the Order of Phoenix up in arms, especially when the arrival of said decree takes place during the time Hermione Granger, a fellow member of The Order is to come of age and increases The Dark Lord's Plot to eradicate the Muggle-Borns from the wizarding world...on the cusp of being eligible for said decree and at the mercy of unwed death eaters vying for her hand in a bid to impress their master, her only hope is her rather snarky spy Potions Professor, Severus Snape...}**

 _ **"Men's Hearts Hold Shadows Darker Than Any Tainted Creature."-Flemeth, Dragon Age Origins**_

 _ **{"Thought it was dead and buried...Then it woke you up last night...You sounded so damn worried...You've been tossing, turning, both ends burning...I wanna put your mind at ease again...(Make everything alright)...I know it's getting underneath your skin...I've tried to tell you now...Don't look over your shoulder...'Cause that's just the ghost of me...You're seeing in your dreams...Wait, there's no rhyme or reason...Sometimes there's no meaning...In the visions when you're sleepin'...Don't wake up and believe them...You're looking at the ghost of me...You're looking at the ghost of me..."} Ghost Of Me, Daughtry**_

 **Prologue** **:** _ **Chastened Shadows**_

 _Permanent_ _Care Facility, St. Mungo's Wizarding Hospital, Muggle World..._

 **T** he constant click clacking of heels against a cold marble floor had been the only sound for quite some time as a lone young woman with lengthy brown hair braided into a single pony tail rising and falling with each brisk step. She wore a black skirt well passed her knees but not enough to be considered a librarian in terms of taste. Her well matched young woman's blazer had been buttoned up and she presented the appeal of a woman with her mind on a great deal of stressful things. On her left hand had been two rings snugly wrapped around her ring finger, a silver ring with the depiction of an onyx carved phoenix in fine detail with a glittering amethyst trapped within it's beak. It had been clear that someone had spent a good deal of money to have the piece of jewelry created and it had the rustic look of a well kept family heirloom. Below it had been a simple silver wedding band carved into the shape of a serpent with emerald stones on each of it's eyes. The young woman looked down at her hand as if trying to prepare herself for what lay beyond the far metal door that had been at the end of the hall.

Her heart had been pounding in her chest despite the knowledge that she had made this trip countless times over the past few years. Her mind drifting briefly back to the time she acquired such magnificent pieces and the man whom had given it to her. The lengthy walk had finally come to an end as she reached the metal door that often left her filled with despair the minute she left it. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself as her delicate hand touched the cold metal handle and her amber eyes quickly flashed across the name plate.

 **S. Snape, Room 234.**

A chill went down her spine as she opened the door and stepped inside what appeared to be a makeshift single room flat without the kitchen. The restroom had been like any other in a patient care facility and within reach so the occupant did not have to wander the halls late in the night. The amber eyes of the visitor fell on the far side of the room where an armchair had been set up along with a small shelf of books all sorted in alphabetical order.

The occupant had been sitting in silence seeming to stare into space as she took a tentative step forward. Her eyes scanned the occupant, a ghastly looking man with unkempt but very lengthy raven hair, a beard covered his sallow pale face and had been showing signs of gray ever since his condition began. He wore regular muggle style attire a common shirt of white color and what appeared to be equally white pajama bottoms. His feet had been bare which had been little surprise to the young woman as he didn't seem to be able to tell how cold the floor had been in his current state.

This seemingly distant man, whom had been wearing a matching silver band on his hand indicating that he had once been functional enough to have enjoyed married life and all it's perks, made no indication that he felt her presence.

Resisting the urge to burst into tears the young woman approached him tentatively.

"Severus." she said softly. "I came to see you just like I promised."

She attempted to meet his obsidian gaze but there was nothing behind it. Another blow to dash the hope within her that this day would be any different than the last few. He had still not shown any signs of improvement and remained as distant as before. It was a hollowed feeling to know that his man had once been the most formidable wizard that walked the halls of Hogwarts, at least in the eyes of the many children whom had him as Potions Professor during his tenure following the first wizarding war.

Severus Snape had been the greatest Potions Master to ever grace Hogwarts beginning at the age of 21 and creating a lasting legacy never to be duplicated by anyone in his wake. The thought of how much he lost since the end of the second wizarding war and how he risked his life constantly to not only protect Harry Potter and the wizarding world but her as well, almost caused the young woman to burst into tears seeing him this way.

"Severus." she said touching his sallow pale cheek feeling the roughness of his beard against the palm of her hand. "I don't know how to help you."

For his part, The Potions Master simply looked through his nearly weeping wife and had yet to say a word.

"Harry's been asking about you." she said in an attempt to make conversation. "He and Ginny are expecting their second child now...he's got this crazy idea about naming him after you...well you and Dumbledore of course."

There had still been no reaction.

In the past, Severus Snape would have called Harry Potter ever insult known to man for attempting something like this. Now he simply stared into space occasionally moving about his makeshift flat within the care facility. When they first found him like this, he had not been able to move about as easily, years of therapy and retraining had enabled him to attempt basic functions. His wife had thought it good that he could have some dignity given his condition.

The clock on the distant wall continued to tick, the only sound in the silent room aside from their collective breathing.

"I-I suppose I should be getting back." said The Potions Master's wife. "I've got an early day tomorrow...but I promise I'll stop by and see you once work is done."

Snape again gave no indication that he heard or cared about her words in the least.

Now fully unable to stop the onset of her sadness, she thought it best to leave before the first tears fell. She kneeled down beside her husband and kissed him softly on the lips before pulling away and making her way to the door. Snape had remained as he was staring as if unaffected by her tears that had managed to get the better of her before she took her leave of him.

Once the door had been shut and the sound of her sorrow erupted in the narrow hall, Snape's obsidian gaze drifted toward the door briefly.

"Her-mion-ee." he said as if had taken a good deal of effort.

Hermione Granger-Snape had been swiftly making her way back toward the exit of the hospital and out toward her car. The tears had constantly been streaming down her supple cheeks and her amber eyes were filled with sorrow. She had missed him more than she ever wanted to let on. Even his abrasive insults would have been preferable to the silence and his soulless obsidian eyes.

The heartbroken young witch sat in the driver seat of her very muggle car thinking back to how her marriage to former Potions Professor Severus S. Snape began. The tears kept coming as she looked down at the engagement ring he had given her, the only lasting proof that he had not been as bad as everyone said he had been in terms of emotional availability prior to his current condition.

She had only been 16 teen then, legal age in Britain and when the Ministry of Magic decided to unleash the dreaded Marriage Law Decree. What started out as a means of protecting her from Voldemort and his malicious plans concerning the new Marriage Law and Muggle-Borns alike, turned into something no one expected between her and the man that would ultimately come to her rescue...at the behest of Albus Dumbledore of course.


	2. Chapter 1:The Emergence Of A Decree

**Chapter 1:** _ **The Emergence Of A Decree**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update}**_

 _ **My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **Several Years Earlier...**_

 _12 Grimmauld Place, Muggle World..._

 **L** ow hanging clouds swelled to the point of violently bursting leaving the feel of an inevitable downpour hanging in the air. An ominous sign of things to come, Arthur Weasley, The Head of The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office had anything to say about it. The lowly but tried and true father of the notoriously numerous Weasley clan made his way toward 12 Grimmauld Place the Headquarters of the second Order of Phoenix and home to the infamous Azkaban escapee, Sirius Black. On this most auspicious of days, Arthur Weasley had not been alone in the assessment of his inkling into the grimiest of fortunes, the ebony clad and notoriously pale figure of Severus S. Snape had been well on his way toward that very Headquarters with a grim bit of news of his own.

Of all the strange happenings in the wizarding word as of late, the inevitable fate of all those of muggle birth were about to be determined by an ambitious, and power hungry fool of a wizard's laws and their lives were forfeit as a result of impending misfortune. For word had reached the ears of the despot known to all as Voldemort, of the Ministry of Magic's desperate ploy to absolute control within the wizarding world.

Unfortunately for them, the dark lord was Slytherin and as such, saw this new decree as a way to achieve on of his ultimate goals within the wizarding world. In fact he had boasted to his loyal followers about the very "gift" they handed him in ensuring that the muggle-born menace would be eradicated rather easily given the new law.

With a crack of thunder, Severus Snape landed at a safe zone and walked toward the ominous house in the center of the muggle world and knocked on the large oak wood door. Much to his annoyance, Arthur Weasley had just arrived ahead of him and had turned in time to open the door while his weary wife shuffled their numerous children as well as the infamous Gryffindor trio off to their rooms while the meeting was called in the dining hall.

Albus Dumbledore had been anxiously awaiting word from his most treasured spy in a bid to better gauge Voldemort's plans.

"Severus." said the Headmaster with a pleasant smile. "I am pleased to see that you are well."

Snape simply nodded once in response to the elder wizard's greeting.

"Headmaster, if you have a moment...I wish to speak with you." he said as polite as he could manage. "What I have to say is not to be within earshot of common place eavesdroppers."

As Snape said this, his obsidian eyes flicked toward the stairs where he met the amber eyed gaze of an inquisitive Hermione Jean Granger whom gasped in shocked once Snape noticed her watching him. Initially, the fifteen year old witch had been attempting to wrangle both Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley before anyone caught them but the immediate implication of importance in the dreaded Potions Professor's tone caught her attention.

Severus Snape was not a man that enjoyed being kept waiting and he never wasted his words. If he had anything to say at all it was of the utmost importance, especially having traveled all this way. The young witch had known since her third year that Harry's godfather Sirius Black and her Potions Professor had animosity left over from when they were both children attending Hogwarts and despite being a member of the second Order of Phoenix, Snape did not frequent the headquarters.

Truth be told, his stays are mostly forced by Dumbledore if anything.

As such he chose the basement to turn into a makeshift bedroom whenever his visit was forced upon the house. Everyone mostly steered clear of the basement before and after Snape left. Not even Sirius had been so bold as to venture into that place. He often joked that Snape was doing horrific experiments down there on unsuspecting children.

Sometimes Harry would find it funny to joke about it with Sirius but Ron was more often terrified than amused at the prospect of Snape dissecting a student beneath The Black family Manor. Hermione simply thought the stories and jokes to be in poor taste and childish even for someone as stuck in the past as Sirius Black.

"I suppose you are right Severus." replied Dumbledore. "We do tend to have a good deal of delicate information being picked up on by equally delicate ears."

Snape rolled his eyes not wishing to engage the elder wizard in his word-play. He had not liked being under the same roof with Harry Potter or Sirius Black and the longer he stayed the more agitated he became.

"Come into the meeting room Severus." said Dumbledore in a serious tone.

Snape rolled his eyes once more. Any excuse to get him in the same place as Lupin and Black had seemed to be the old man's theme as of late.

"As you wish, Headmaster." replied Snape dutifully despite his annoyance.

Hermione watched Severus Snape look up at her once more before following Dumbledore into the meeting room.

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 _The Dining Hall, 12 Grimmauld Place, Muggle World..._

Arthur Weasley had the floor. His information of Fudge and Umbridge's plans to unveil the Marriage Law degree very soon in terms of maintaining a foothold in wizarding politics. Harry's insistence that Voldemort had returned caused quite a bit of a stir in the wizarding world and questions of wither or not Fudge was a competent Minister of Magic had spurred this idea to get public attention on a more pressing topic. The continued succession of magical blood in the wizarding world.

"He fully intends to unveil this plot in a bid to overshadow the growing concerns about Voldemort." said Arthur Weasley slamming his hand on the long and elegantly carved oak wood table.

"Well that just tears it then...the bloody man's lost his mind." said Molly Weasley in full support of opposing this new law.

"It makes no difference wither he wants to admit Voldemort is back or now, the fact still remains that he is and he's gearing up for another war." said Lupin.

He had been a bit rundown in the wake of the last bout with the full moon.

"He's targeting Muggle-Borns." said Sirius Black leaning back in his chair as coolly as only he could manage. "The way I see it, this buys us time."

"Time for what exactly?" asked Snape with an arched eyebrow. "The Ministry is as unstable as it can get from the way Arthur describes the conditions and our so called Minster of Magic is staking the entire wizarding world's population on a popularity contest for public opinion instead of aiding the order's forces to prevent a second devastating war."

Sirius Black narrowed his eyes at the Potions Professor. He had been out of the loop for quite some time since the first Order of Phoenix was founded given his lengthy stay at Azkaban.

"Alright Snivellus." said Sirius enjoying his mocking. "What do you suggest we do, given you are the only resident death eater here...why don't you give us a glimpse into the mind of a deranged psychopath...you would know best after all."

Snape had been about to draw his wand and hex the cheeky mutt but Dumbledore intervened.

"That's enough Sirius." he said in a stern tone. "Severus is here to assist us and has assisted us for quite some time, had he not arrived with more news of how the dark lord plans to utilize this new law to his advantage we'd be stumbling about in the dark."

Sirius said nothing further but glared at Snape rather murderously.

"Severus, what news do you have on your end?" asked The Headmaster turning his attention to The Potions Master.

Snape turned his attention from the sulking mutt back to his employer.

"The Dark Lord intends to eradicate Muggle-Borns by having his eligible death eaters wed them then depose of them." said Snape bluntly. "There is no limitation to how many times a death eater may wed a muggle-born and given the misinformation about the dark lord's return...none will know that they are in immediate danger...nor will they know that their spouse is a member of the dark lord's faction...in a sense, this move plays well into the dark lord's hands."

"Spoken like a true Slytherin." muttered Sirius drawing Dumbledore's stern expression once more.

Snape did his best to hide the upturned smirk that filed briefly across his face while he watched the "dog" squirm.

"Thank you Severus...although I must say this news is even more unsettling than Arthur's." said Dumbledore looking a bit weary.

"There is another matter that comes to mind...there is the matter of Miss Granger." said Snape offhandedly mentioning what everyone else had appeared to have forgotten.

Molly Weasley's eyes widened.

"She's just a girl for Merlin's sake!" said the overly-concerned mother of quite a few.

"Indeed she is." agreed Snape. "But think of the implications of this new law...she is on the cusp of being of age...the age required for one to come under the Ministry's new law."

A few collective gasps of horror filled the room as everyone finally caught on to what Snape was trying to say.

"This new law means that Miss Granger is in grave danger." said Dumbledore getting the full scope of the implications.

"Exactly." replied Snape. "I suggest marrying the girl off before hand...perhaps Molly has a son available."

Hearing this Molly Weasley already could hear wedding bells.

"What a brilliant suggestion Severus...perhaps Miss Granger should be wed...but to someone the other death eater's could not necessarily impact." said Dumbledore seeming to be in deep though. "Whomever she chooses will most certainly come under fire from death eaters perusing her hand in marriage to please the dark lord."

"Naturally." replied Snape.

"We need someone who would be impervious to their assault as well as eligible for the Marriage Law's age requirements." said Dumbledore.

"We also need someone who isn't afraid of a bit of backlash in terms of Voldemort's wrath." suggested Lupin. "I'm afraid Fred and George are out as far as those requirements are concerned."

"What about Percy?" asked Arthur deep in thought. "He's..."

"A Ministry of Magic official and has no desire to marry." said Molly. "Besides, when was the last time you've even heard from our son now that he's moved up in the world?...you think he'd be bothered to call once in awhile."

"I'd be happy to marry Miss Granger." said Sirius Black breaking the silence. "I do not fear Voldy or his death eaters."

"You are still a wanted man." said Lupin. "The Ministry of Magic as more likely to give you the dementor's kiss than see you wed."

"Then why don't you do it Mr. Responsible?" replied Sirius Black annoyed at being reminded of his less than savory lifestyle and impending boredom.

"YOU KNOW VERY WELL WHY I CAN'T MARRY THE GIRL!" shouted Lupin still a bit testy from his excisions due to the full moon.

"Enough!" said Dumbledore in a stern tone getting everyone's attention. "I have chosen the perfect candidate to marry Miss Granger...and I will reveal this person in due time...for now meeting adjourned until further notice."

Severus Snape's eyes flickered with pain as his dark mark began to burn. The dark lord was calling him and it had only taken a quick glance in Dumbledore's direction to get the elder Headmaster to close the meeting.

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 _The Hall, 12 Grimmauld Place, Muggle World..._

Hermione Granger had been exiting the kitchen with her newly retrieved cup of water. She had spent a good deal of the afternoon trying to figure out what Snape had been telling Dumbledore that had been so urgent. She had a bad feeling about the up coming school term but kept it to herself for the most part. While it was good to be back among her friends once more, she felt herself becoming more and more distracted by the prospect of the up coming war but knew not how to convey her concerns to those whom could do something about them. The adults treated her as a child and her friends were more or less children in their own right.

Being the eldest of a good deal of her friends, even the Weasley twins Fred and George in terms of maturity had it's disadvantages. With a sigh, she decided a bit of light reading would be a good thing to settle her wayward mind. The young witch made her way toward the sitting room, the other teenagers that occupied 12 Grimmauld place had been busy with Weasley brothers products and finding their own amusement.

As Hermione rounded the corner in a bid to reach the sitting room and found herself bumping into a ebony clad wall of some sort. Having just been jolted from her thoughts, the amber eyed young witch looked up to see the dreaded Potions Professor Severus Snape glaring rather murderously at her. He had been clutching his left forearm as if had been causing him a good deal of pain but he weathered it with a kind of determination Hermione had never seen before.

At first, she wondered if she had caused this intense pain before noticing the enormous wet splash on front of The Potions Master's ebony frock coat. The splash had gained quite a bit of height having reached the seething wizard's sallow pale face and it was unnerving to see a water pool at the tip of the dark wizard's infamously large nose.

"P-Professor Snape." stammered Hermione from the hardwood floor below. "I-I'm so sorry..."

"Why don't you watch where you are going!?" said Snape in a dangerously low tone.

He paid no mind that running into his surprisingly hard chest had caused her to fall. It was easy to see the man's contempt for physical contact especially from a student wasn't just limited to Harry Potter. As Hermione looked over her Potions Professor she could see his left sleeve drawn up to his forearm and what she knew without a shadow of a doubt to be the dark mark of Voldemort had been as black as mid night amid the surprisingly pale flesh of his the skin on his arm.

"I-I..." she began unsure what to say and equally unable to get the sight out of her mind.

Snape appeared to have noted the girl's eyes on his exposed mark and covered it almost immediately with his right hand. Annoyed that she had even more fodder for Potter's insufferable tales of "The Evil Potions Professor" for more than a few campfire tales, he scoffed and stepped around her in a bid to rush out the door. As he moved about, the young witch believed she could hear him mutter something about a "dark lord" and "contemptible pain" and "witches."

Before she reached her feet, Snape had been long gone. A violent crack of thunder signaled his exit from 12 Grimmauld Place indefinitely.

"He could have at least helped me stand." muttered Hermione annoyed at Snape's apparent rude nature when in the presence of a lady, even if she was a good deal young and his student.

"Miss Granger?" said the pleasant tone of Albus Dumbledore as his blue eyes focused on the now standing witch.

Hermione turned her attention to The Headmaster of Hogwarts.

"Oh...Hello Professor Dumbledore, I wasn't speaking about you." she said quickly.

Dumbledore smiled pleasantly at the young witch.

"Severus can be a bit barbaric when in a good deal of pain." he said. "I apologize that you had to witness such a display."

Hermione sighed.

"It's alright Professor." she said sadly thinking of Snape and all the spy work he has done over the years that they knew nothing about. "It's just Professor Snape's way I suppose."

"You really are a remarkable young witch, Miss Granger." said Dumbledore seemingly in awe. "I wonder...I wish to speak with you concerning a matter of grave importance."

"Of course." said Hermione giving the elder wizard her undivided attention.

"I shall contact you when everyone has gotten settled." said Dumbledore. "Until then enjoy your reading...and your drink."

Before Hermione could inquire as to how he knew of her plans, a newly poured glass had levitated before her as well as the book she intended to read for the evening.

"Thank you Professor." she said pleased to have her drink refreshed.

"Enjoy yourself Miss Granger." said The Headmaster.

"I will." replied Hermione making her way toward the sitting room in a bid to find peace and quiet.

Dumbledore watched her go without her having any knowledge of the twinkling being his blue eyed gaze.

 _Yes, Hermione Jean Granger was a remarkable young witch indeed._


	3. Chapter 2:An Intellectual Solution

**Chapter 2:** _ **An Intellectual Solution**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update}**_

 _ **My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _The Dining Hall,12 Grimmauld Place, Muggle World..._

 **H** ermione Granger had not been sure why Professor Dumbledore insisted upon meeting with her once the rest of the Order Members had settled in for the night. It had taken some time to keep Harry and Ron from finding themselves conveniently within the halls to eavesdrop on their conversation as Dumbledore instructed her to meet him without either of them being any the wiser. She had known that something was going on with the way Molly Weasley kept looking at her and hugging her quite a bit given that there was no real call for it. She had even gone out of her way to announce repeatedly how much she thought of her as a daughter. Sirius had been acting strange as well, a lavishing a good deal of attention on the young witch. He had often referred to her as Kitten a time or two since she and Harry saved him from Azkaban and the dementors. Professor Lupin would often give her sad looks then try his best to smile as if he had been putting on a brave face for some inevitably sad conclusion.

Feeling concern creep into her cool demeanor, Hermione made her way through the large oak doors that lined the meeting room and former house dining hall. When she arrived, the young witch could sense the heaviness of the unspoken topic as she took a seat on the opposite end of the lengthy table while Dumbledore took the other.

"Thank you for meeting me at such a late hour, Miss Granger." he said pleasantly despite the anxious atmosphere.

"Professor, if you don't mind I'd like to know what's so urgent that you needed to talk to me alone." she said wishing to get right to the point.

Truthfully speaking, the suspense had been leading her to come to all sorts of unsavory conclusions, one of which had brought out concern for the well-being of her Muggle parents.

"Not to worry Miss Granger." assured Dumbledore. "For now the topic for which I am about to discuss with you does not go into effect until certain requirements are met."

"Then why the urgency if you do not mind my asking?" asked the inquisitive witch.

Dumbledore smiled.

The little witch was clever indeed.

"I wish to provide you with something that not many witches nor wizards for that matter are fortunate to have when they are to be faced with your particular predicament." replied The Headmaster.

"My predicament?" she asked confused by his words.

"Forgive me I appear to be getting ahead of myself." said Dumbledore. "You may not be aware...but we have it on good authority that the Ministry of Magic intends to pass a law in which Muggle-Born witches and wizards are to marry into magical lineage bound families in a bid to preserve the ever lessening of magical blood in the wizarding world... as I am sure you are quite aware of your impending legal age...but I am afraid that is the very thing making you a target for unsavory things brewing on the horizon."

"What sort of unsavory things?" asked Hermione with an arched eyebrow.

"For starters, as we are well aware of the upcoming decree, so is the dark lord." said Dumbledore in a serious tone. "He intends to twist the new law into his favor by having his eligible death eaters marry Muggle-Borns in an attempt to make it easier to kill them off one by one."

The young witch gasped in horror.

"T-That's horrible!" she said not at all wishing to live in a world where Voldemort's darkest dreams have taken shape.

"It is indeed Miss Granger, and I am afraid you...being the friend of his enemy Harry Potter makes you a very well sought after target among his followers."

"T-There's no way I am marrying a death eater!" she said defiantly.

"I'm afraid Miss Granger, that the Ministry has given you little choice as far as potential husbands go." replied Dumbledore. "However, I have called you here to discuss a way to thwart the dark lord's plans for you."

"What can we do?" asked Hermione seeing the faint glimmer of hope within an entirely hopeless situation.

"Miss Granger, I have proposed that you find a husband of your own." said The Headmaster. "One whom can withstand the onslaught of the death eaters, as they will no doubt try and murder whomever you choose in a bid to free your hand for their own ambitions, naturally Molly Weasley's boys are not eligible due to this factor."

The amber eyed witch thought for a moment as the Headmaster spoke. She needed to come up with someone to marry that would not only save her from the onslaught of death eaters but would be willing to allow her to continue her life as it was. She had no intention of becoming some barefoot and pregnant trophy for someone of the likes of Draco Malfoy although he had not quite been of age just yet to be eligible.

No.

She had to pick someone who wouldn't expect too much from her as far as being married goes. Someone that seemed to loathe physical contact enough to not want to bed her just because the wind blew.

Someone that had been mature and intelligent enough to hold at least a small conversation. She couldn't see herself with anyone boring no matter how grateful she would have been to have her life spared.

A brief flash of Severus Snape entered her mind. The dark mark on his pale forearm had come to mind as well.

"W-What about Professor Snape." she said simply babbling the first thought that came from her tangled thoughts.

Dumbledore's blue eyes held an unnerving twinkle as a smile filed across his pleasant looking face.

"You truly are the brightest witch of your age." said Dumbledore. "Severus would make a fine choice of a husband, and he fits all the necessary requirements needed to keep you safe from the death eaters as well as allow for your continued education at Hogwarts."

"A-Are you sure he'll agree to it?" asked Hermione nervously.

She had not been on very good terms with the Potions Professor given her many transgressions against him in the past, from setting his cloak on fire during her first years to spelling him across the room during third year and stealing valuable ingredients from his potions stores for hi-jinks with Ron and Harry.

"I most certainly, assure you that he will." said Dumbledore with his blue eyes twinkling once more. "I suppose there isn't much to worry about given that you have found an intellectual solution to this marriage law problem...get some rest Miss Granger, I will speak with Severus on your behalf."

Hermione got to her feet feeling a bit heavy in her footing as she made her way toward the door. She wasn't sure that Snape would agree to marrying her given his abrasive nature.

 _He would probably laugh in her face while celebrating her impending doom._

"Everything will work itself out Miss Granger, I simply felt you deserved to know what was to occur given your age, you have quite a bit of time before than to enjoy."

The amber eyed witch nodded and took her leave of the elder Headmaster. She hoped he had been right about convincing Snape to take her hand in marriage, she had not wanted to be at the mercy of Voldemort's death eaters.

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 _The Sitting Room, 12 Grimmauld Place, Muggle World..._

Unable to sleep for fear of her impending future as a random wizard's wife, Hermione Granger sat in the darkness of Sirius Black's family sitting room staring at the pages of a book who's lines she read repeatedly before attempting to finish the page. Her stomach had been in knots and her palms grew sweaty. She thought she had become a good deal as worrisome as Ron as she wondered what life would be like once she reached the age of sixteen. The Ministry of Magic were clearly attempting to overshadow the whispers of Voldemort's return while the despot himself was attempting to capitalize on their folly. The impending law was not only affecting Muggle-Borns but all witches and wizards that came of age. They were to be forced into marriage with individuals that wouldn't always have their best interests at heart.

Hermione sighed as she thought back to what she had known of Professor Snape.

She wondered if he would indeed have her best interest at heart, given his abrasive nature on even the most pleasant of days. There was a lot to be desired as far as The Potions Professor's personality was concerned but he had truly been her best option. The mark on his arm, in full view was a glimpse into the private affairs of a man that had been a constant staple of her Hogwarts life for as long as her friends had. His cold obsidian gaze had been fixed on her a time or two, mostly when she spoke out of turn or when she interrupted his lectures. He had not seemed all that fond of any Gryffindors given his natural inclination to support Slytherin at every turn.

Then again, all the Professors favored their own houses, even Professor McGonagall whom had a notorious disliking of all things Slytherin. What had been strange was that the elder witch seemed to take a liking to Snape in some respects. He couldn't possibly have been all bad if her own Head of House tolerated him.

With another exasperating sigh, the amber eyed witch closed the book she had been struggling to read. It wouldn't have done her any good to drag out the slow process of pretending to read it any way. Feeling the need for rest finally overtaking her, Hermione got to her feet and attempted to make her way toward the stairs in a bid to get to bed. She had gotten half way there when she found herself running into what appeared to be an ebony wall yet again.

In her distraction, the young witch had not heard the door open, nor did she see the slumped over figure of Severus Snape as he attempted to focus his efforts on reaching the comforting darkness of the basement.

"I-I'm sorry Professor." said Hermione out of instinct given it was Snape she usual crashed into while rounding corners.

She waited for the inevitable chastising but had been shocked to find that there was none to be had. Or at least that is what she assumed when she looked up to find Severus Snape glaring rather murderously at her. She had been about to go into another round of her most sincerest apologies when she noticed what appeared to be blood on his right cheek.

The young witch's curiosity had gotten the better of her as she moved, not even recalling getting back to her feet since her focus was on the apparent blood that added an unwanted bit of color to the dour wizard's cheek.

Snape had been dizzy from his long list of injuries, the dark lord had sent him and a few other fellow death eaters into battle against a group of Aurors in training. Unfortunately for Snape, this particular group was headed by Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody himself and to say there were met with resistance was an understatement. It seemed The Dark Lord was intent on his newly returned member proving his loyalty even by the most suicidal of means. Like everything else he had set his mind to, Snape excelled beyond the despot's wildest dreams despite being bested by Moody and nearly killed in the process.

Now he stood face to face with a curious amber eyed witch whom had no doubt been attempting to inquire about his recent injuries. The blood from the cut on his right cheek had evidently gotten her attention as she ceased her infernal blubbering and was inching toward him in a decisively familiar way. Snape instantly drew back catching the foolish girl's hand before it came in contact with his face.

"What do you think you are doing Miss Granger?" he asked seeming to break her from a trance with his cold and harsh tone.

"I-I..." began Hermione not sure she had an explanation for what had just occurred. "I don't rightly know sir."

"Stupid girl." muttered Snape. "I suggest you make your way to bed and it would do well for you to mind your own business."

With that, he released her hand, a delicate and soft hand at that and moved passed her determined to keep himself from showing weakness even to this young girl in the wake of the tremendous amount of agony he had been suffering. He focused on getting to the basement, to his makeshift lab and then to bed. He would not be able to apparate any further in his current condition and his body needed time to heal.

Hermione Granger watched in a combination of shock and awe as her Potions Professor made his way down to The Black Family basement. She had not doubt that he was going to get his hands on a health potion, but to see him injured...this constant and seemingly indestructible force of nature that caused students to tremble in dread no matter their age, was seemingly human after all.

The amber eyed witch had thought it sad that Snape had been so isolated even with it being apparent that he preferred it that way. She made up her mind to at least attempt to get to know him, that was if Dumbledore could convince him to marry. With one last look at the direction Snape had gone in, Hermione made her way up the stairs toward her designated bedroom.

She still had some time before her 16th birthday and a whole summer to enjoy just being with her friends again. Hermione willed herself to focus on the positive aspects of her young life, she was still alive and more than willing to join the older members of the Order of Phoenix in the fight against the despot Voldemort. Only now she was up for ending the tyranny of the Ministry of Magic as well.


	4. Chapter 3: The Master's Orders

**Chapter 3: _The Master's Orders_**

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...problems with internet at home...he to type this via my phone.]**_

 _ **My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _The Dining Hall,12 Grimmauld Place, Muggle World..._

Amber eyes stared into the steaming hot bowl of porridge that sat before the uncharacteristicly silent young witch, Hermione Granger as she attempted to enjoy her breakfast. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be as more and more of her intrusive thoughts tended to focus on her impending marriage to a possible enemy.

While her spoon became more than acquainted with her porridge, Ronald Weasely had wolfed down almost two bowls before setting his greedy eyes on her untouched portion. The witch had been far too busy contemplating to note his lack of table manners.

"Are you going to eat that Mione?" He asked already reaching for her bowl.

"Just what do you think you're doing Ronald Weasely?" She snapped coming to her senses as his lengthy fingers touched her bowl.

The sudden shift in the Amber eyed witch's mood had taken the red head wizard by surprise and he stumbled backwards from the table.

Harry Potter burst out into a fit of laughter accompanied by Ron's younger sister Ginny. Hermione narrowed her eyes at Ron as he scrambled to his feet.

"What did you have to go and do that for...all you had to do was say you were going to finish it." said Ron in an annoyed tone.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the youngest Weasely boy's childish display. It had been his own fault for being greedy in the first place.

"Leave her be Ron." said the green eyed wizard knowing all too well that something had been bothering Hermione, something that even she loathed to speak of.

Without a word the bushy haired witch got up from the table suddenly devoid of her appetite. She made her way into the sitting room unable to get the previous night's discussion with the Headmaster out of her mind.

 _How was he going to get Snape to agree to such an absurd marriage?_

 _The Potions Professor didn't even fancy being in the same room with her in passing, how in Merlin's name were they supposed to share a marriage bed?_

 _SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS_

 _The Basement, 12 Grimmauld Place, Muggle World..._

Sunlight had never been a thing Severus Snape fancied as he found himself awakening to a rouge ray heating the left side of his notoriously sour, sallow pale face. He had specifically chosen this location to not only avoid Sirius Black, Lupin, and other unwanted intrusions but he wished to avoid the beaming rays of the sun as well. It annoyed him to no end to find that the sun had managed to intrude upon his sleep although it had help in reaching such a low level location. It did not surprise Snape that his employer sadly had not considered himself among the vast list and decided to greet him with a well timed sunrise.

"Why am I not surprised?" said Snape in a dry tone clearly conveying his annoyance with having been disturbed.

"Good morning to you too, Severus." said The Headmaster unphasped by his Potions Professor's usual demeanor upon awakening.

"To what do I owe this displeasure and please tell me it isn't Potter related." said Snape still very much annoyed at having been awoken.

"There is still the matter of keeping Miss Granger safe." said Dumbledore. "Given your temperament last night...I believed waiting until you were at best...mentally functional before informing you that a suitable spouse has been selected."

Snape studied the elder wizard for a moment.

"So you believed that you should waste my time instead of calling a meeting?" He asked to at all happy about this being the reason for his early awakening.

"Of course." replied The oddly cheerful Headmaster. "What better way to congratulate you on your up coming nuptials."

The Potions Professor whirled around to face the elder wizard, his attempt to reach the nearby bottle of pain suppressant potion within reach prior to hearing those dreaded words.

"If this is your idea of a joke old man, it's not very funny." he said.

"As entertaining as it would be to have actually prepared a joke, I'm afraid this is no laughing matter." replied Dumbledore. "Miss Granger herself has nominated you to be her husband."

Snape simply glared at the elder wizard for a moment unsure if he wanted to strangle him or the silly little girl with vast delusions.

"And she reached such a devastatingly desperate conclusion with no input from you, I'm sure." He said in a rather sarcastic tone.

"You know very well that you are her best option." said the elder wizard. "And lest you forget...you have no choice in this matter."

"I refuse." said Snape in a defiant manner. "Cart me off to Azkaban if you must...but I will forced into marrying a child...let alone an insufferable know it all."

"You are marrying Miss Granger as soon as she comes of age and that is final." Said Dumbledore having had enough of Snape's antics. "I've told you before that I will not negotiate with you, Severus."

Snape rolled his eyes. He honestly didn't have to be disturbed during his sleep to be told what to do.

"As you wish Headmaster." replied the Potions Professor with dripping sarcasm once more. "Now will that be all or do you intended to follow me to the loo as well?"

"She needs your help Severus." said Dumbledore with a serious expression on his vastly aged face. "And she is very similar to another young muggle-born witch whom found her self in the dark Lord's crosshairs."

The Potions Master did his best to ignore this as he made his way toward the door. He took his leave of the elder wizard not at all wishing to continue this line of conversation.

As a now visibly irate Severus Snape made his way up the stairs toward the main part of the house and through the kitchen. Once entered the kitchen he found himself face to face with a certain bushy haired witch with troubled Amber eyes.


	5. Chapter 4: Romanticize Notions

**Chapter 4: _Romanticize Notions_**

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...sorry it took so long...typed a bit during my breaks at work in a bid to finish the chapter...still via my phone...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _The Hall,12 Grimmauld Place, Muggle World..._

 ** _H_** ermione Granger felt so small looking into the vastly intimidating obsidian eyes her Potions Professor and possible future husband. He had the unnerving ability to make her come undone with just a simple glance or a softly spoken word despite often being dripping with sarcasm. There was an unstated flicker of malice behind his gaze. He had clearly been annoyed about something and she hoped it didn't have anything to do with her.

"Going somewhere, Miss Granger?" asked The Potions Professor in a low tone that sent a shiver down the Amber eyed witch's spine.

"W-well I was..." She began unsure how to respond given the intense glare fixated on her.

"Am I to take it that you have taken leave of your senses girl?" He asked in something of an accusatory tone. "Am I correct in assuming that you were fool enough to ask for me to accept your hand in marriage?"

"T-That is correct sir." said Hermione bravely meeting his gaze.

Her defiance only added to Snape's annoyance as he continued to glare at her. He had no illusions as to what his life had become long having lived between two worlds given his previous and current convictions...but never in a million centuries did he ever envision himself married, lest of all to a witch like Hermione Granger.

The more he thought about it the more he realized she was a strange sort of girl even from the very beginning of her Hogwarts term. Of course Snape still harbored the long festering grudge against the witch given she had been the one to set his cloak on fire believing him responsible for jinxing Potter's broom during his first ever Quidditch match.

"There you are Miss Granger, I see Severus is already here to inform you that you have nothing to worry about...he has graciously agreed to be your husband when the time comes for the decree to be passed."

Hermione's amber eyes widened feeling a bit of relief for the first time since before she had been informed of that Merlin forsaken marriage law decree. She had been so pleased to have the weight lifted that she momentarily suffered a lapse in judgment reaching out and hugging the now visibly irate Potions Professor as he recoiled in disgust.

"Let Go." He said pointedly.

Quickly realizing her folly she stepped back from the disgruntled Potions Professor and offered up a small smile in apology.

"I'm sorry...I suppose I couldn't help it." She said fiddling with her delicate little fingers.

Snape rolled his eyes berating himself for noticing that her fingers had been delicate in the first place. He had no idea why she had been so thrilled given whom he was. Most people would have seen marriage to him as something akin to a death sentence...or imprisonment at the very least.

"Thank you very much sir." said the young witch with sincere gratitude behind her amber eyes. "You may very well have saved my life."

At this Snape scoffed.

"Save your gratitude for the bloody Headmaster." said The Potions Master bitterly. "I can assure you that this entire endeavor was all his doing...let me make this perfectly clear...I am not nor will I ever be interested in marriage let alone marriage to a child."

Hermione had been grateful to him none the less.

"Pay no attention to Severus...he's always been the moody sort come morning." said Dumbledore with a wink in Hermione's direction.

Snape rolled his eyes before glaring at the bushy haired witch once more.

"I assure you, Miss Granger...believing anything the old man says could be detrimental to one's health." He said still very much annoyed.

With that, he took his leave of the elder wizard and the young witch before more words were exchanged setting his sights on the loo once more. He had no doubt in his mind that this was shaping up to be a rather long and decisively dull day.

"Thank you for speaking with him." said Hermione turning her attention to Dumbledore.

"Of course, Miss Granger." replied Dumbledore. "I wish you luck and abundant happiness."

The Headmaster took his leave of the young witch as well.

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 _Hermione Granger's Bedroom, 12 Grimmauld Place, Muggle World..._

September marked the end of life as Hermione Granger knew it despite being three month off. It was the middle of June, a very hot and humid June if the amber eyed girl were to actively describe it. The dreams she had been having of Professor Snape were quite intense as well as bordering on fanning the flames of her curiosity.

Hermione like so many other school girls, often wondered about certain individuals in terms of what they were like in their private lives. Potions Professor Severus Snape had come up a time or two when she and her the girls that occupied the Gryffindor dorm were sitting about and chatting during their free time.

Most of the time, it was Ginny Weasley that brought him up followed by a series of uncontrollable giggles. Hermione had been much more private about her curious wonderings pertaining to the Potions Professor. It had initially been his vastly superior intellect that caught her fancy given the lack of said intellectual capacity amongst her peers.

She suspected that behind the rough exterior he projected, her Potions Professor had been something of a distinguished wizard whom merely had a hard life. A not so surprising conclusion given the man's profession and subsequent day job.

The bushy haired witch had been so lost in her thoughts and wild imagings that she hardly heard the knock on her door. Followed by the concerned voice of Ginerva Weasley.

"Hermione are you in there?" asked the red head witch as she cracked open the door slowly peeking inside.

"You were looking for me?" asked the amber eyed witch a bit taken aback by the fact that her friends were worried about her.

Hearing her voice, Ginny pushed passed the door and moved toward Hermione's bed as she stepped into the bedroom.

"You did kind of just wondered off after not eating much at breakfast." she said. "Harry and I naturally assumed that your stomach might have been bothering you."

Hermione sighed recalling just how the news of the impending marriage law decree affected her. It was just like Harry to have been overly concerned about her.

"It was just a minor bit of trouble...I'm quite alright thanks to Professor Snape." she said with a pleasant smile.

"He's here too then?" said Ginny with a sigh. "And I was so looking forward to a peaceful afternoon."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Hermione feeling a bit defensive of the Potions Professor.

Ginny sighed again.

"Don't misunderstand, I have no problem with Snape." explained Ginny. "It's just..."

"Harry." said Hermione understanding what the younger witch was eluding to concerning her best friend's animosity towards the Potions Professor.

"Well, it's good to see you doing better." said the young red head witch. "Although, you should probably eat something before mother gets wind of you skipping breakfast."

The amber eyed witch smiled knowing The Weasley Matriarch all too well.

"Good idea." She said in agreement.

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Both of the young Gryffindor witches made their way toward the kitchen only to find Molly Weasley with her hands on her noticeably wide hips and her piercing brown eyes narrowed at a certain ebony clad wizard slowly sipping his cup of hot coffee.

Hermione noticed the steaming hot bowl of porridge in front of him. From what she observed upon entering, Mrs. Weasley had gone through the trouble of making ever moody wizard breakfast and he seemingly refused to eat it.

"Severus Snape you eat your breakfast this instant!" said Molly Weasley annoyed.

The Potions Master simply glared at the older witch then proceeded to finish off his coffee.

It was amusing for the younger witchs to see that not even Snape escaped the Weasley Matriarch's mothering. Of course she had been no match for the infamously stubborn Potions Professor.

" I believe you are mistaken, given your tone you must have me confused with a member of your red headed brood of hellions that you call children." said Snape with his obsidian eyes flickering in threat of malice.

"You haven't eaten in two days...now quit being such a toddler and eat something." said Molly Weasley unphased by his demeanor.

Snape narrowed his eyes at the annoying witch. He had been about to tell her where she could stick her bowl of porridge when Albus Dumbledore stepped into the kitchen.

"Why aren't you eating Severus?" He asked with his blue eyes filled with almost tangible concern. "Are you feeling well?"

Snape rolled his eyes not at all interested in the old man's feigned concern for his well being. He was simply a pawn in this petty little war between The Headmaster and The Dark Lord, neither whenever truly gave a damn about him only their means of extracting the much needed information to further their own agendas.

Hermione sat down at the small kitchen table not really wishing to dine alone and fearing the consequences of intruding upon Snape's personal time, despite not being at Hogwarts.

"Miss Granger..." said Dumbledore with a pleasant smile. "I'm afraid everyone else already finished breakfast, but I suppose you could do worse than Severus' company...He is a bit moody this morning so pay him no mind."

"I'm fine with Professor Snape's company, Headmaster." said Hermione bravely chancing a glance at the visibly annoyed Potions Professor.

He remained silent as he continued to sip his morning coffee. His obsidian gaze still seeping in malice.

Molly Weasley smiled at the muggle-born Gryffindor witch. She had been as proud of the way Hermione Granger had grown up given her unofficial adoption of her into the Weasley family since her first year at Hogwarts despite Ron's obvious dislike of the vastly intelligent girl.

Molly Weasley turned her attention to meddling with her natural daughter seeing her attempt to avoid her as she briefly exited the kitchen. Dumbledore smiled at both Snape and Hermione before parting as well citing intentions to speak with Harry Potter about the up coming school term.

Before either Hermione or The Potions Professor knew it, they had been alone for the first time since their previous encounter. Snape said nothing but he pushed the bowl meant for him over to the young witch. She opted not to tread on the wizard's good graces given that he so rarely indulged them.

"You haven't eaten?" asked the ebony clad older wizard, his obsidian gaze seemed to pierce her very being as she fought the urge to shy away from him.

"What's wrong with your stomach?" asked Hermione bravely testing the waters given that she was soon to be wed to this rather mysterious wizard.

She had not meant to sound so brazen in her approach but she was rather curious. Much to her surprise, Snape didn't seem all that put off by her tone.

"My...condition is a private matter and do not appreciate it being the subject of discussion." replied Snape in a surprisingly casual tone.

"I wasn't going to..." began Hermione suddenly regretting her boldness.

"However, I did attempt to pry into your personal business out of shall we say...a hearty mix of concern as your Potions Professor and innate curiosity." Interrupted Snape. "To answer your question, suffice if to say...I am still feeling the effects of my previous assignment so keeping down food will take some time."

"I'm sorry to hear that Professor." replied the amber eyed witch with genuine concern. " I do hope you feel better soon."

Snape scoffed not at all interested in her concern for his well being.

"Why haven't you eaten yet?" He asked with an inquisitively arched eyebrow.

Hermione sighed and gathered her thoughts for a moment. The last thing she wanted to do was tell him that he had been the reason...or rather his decision regarding the marriage law decree.

"Just morning jitters, I suppose." she replied rather quickly invoking Snape's notoriously unavoidable suspicion.

The Potions Professor watched the young witch for a few moments before returning his attention to his morning coffee. Once he had finished it, The ebony clad wizard got up from the table and ventured back toward the basement once more. He had said nothing more as Hermione turned her attention to the bowl before her. Feeling her stomach growl was enough to convince her to eat for the first time since the previous night's supper.

As she ate she could have sworn she detected the taste of lemon.


	6. Chapter 5: Mutual Woes

**Chapter 5: _Mutual Woes_**

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...sorry it took so long...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _The Basement, 12 Grimmauld Place, Muggle World..._

 ** _V_** omiting had been about the only thing Severus Snape's stomach could manage as he attempted to salvage what little dignity he had left before his apparent illness took over. The Potions Professor's knees buckled and he nearly lost his footing as he made his way down the narrow steps into his make-shift bedroom below Black Manor. He had narrowly avoided having to eat that Merlin awful gruel that Molly Weasley tried to poison him with, of course Dumbledore couldn't resist adding his lemon drops to the bowl. The Potion's Master rolled his eyes as he made his way to the bed. The aches still running rampant thorough out his body.

His rather stiff movements only served to increase his agony as he finally managed to lie back with his weary eyes meeting the ceiling. He had already been given enough to deal with in terms of saving Potter from his own innate stupidity and proving himself to his former death eater brethren whom never accepted him to begin with due to his blood status.

Now he had the added stress of his impending marriage to an underage witch, who would be coming of age in a matter of months effectively cutting down his apparent "freedom". It made his blood boil recalling how he had been given no real choice in this.

It didn't seem to matter to the old bastard Dumbledore that he had been celibate for years following the death of Lily Potter. The Potions Master had been so focused on his work that he had not even bothered speaking to any woman let alone a witch in any fashion other than professional courtesy.

"Bloody sod." muttered Snape angrily.

He knew all too well what marriage to a young student would mean for him. He had been humiliated and persecuted enough. Now he had an amber eyed insufferable know it all to add to his worries. Sadly, he had known that Dumbledore had a point in choosing him to look after the young witch, but being her husband meant that due to the Ministry of Magic's expressed control over the situation, he would have to bed her to make it seem real.

Bedding a witch, especially one he had known since she was a child wasn't on the embittered wizard's agenda. Lily dying had taken quite a bit out of him. The hollowed shell that remained was only interested in completing his original agenda, righting the wrongs committed by him when he was a mere 21 year old fool.

The Potions Master sighed coming to a conclusion about his impending fate. It seemed that no matter what he did he would always be seen as a monster in one form or another.

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 _The Sitting Room, 12 Grimmauld Place, Muggles World..._

Laughter filled the sitting room as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger engaged in meaningless conversation pertaining to youth and a whimsical future. It seemed so easy to just get lost in the bliss of her friend's presence and ignore the impending truth about her forced marriage to their Potions Professor.

Briefly Hermione thought about how each of them would react to such scandalous knowledge. Harry hated Snape with every fiber of his being and Ron of course was no better. It wasn't long before the young witch found herself obsessing over what would happen if most of the people currently inhibiting Black Manor knew about her impending nuptials to Snape.

"Mione?" said the voice of Harry Potter.

The amber eyed witch met those familiar emerald orbs of her best friend since the day they met on The Hogwarts Express during first year.

"W-What?" asked Hermione completely caught off guard.

"I asked what was bothering you." said Harry eyeing her suspiciously.

"I'm fine...Harry." She replied a bit too quickly to avoid further inquiry pertaining to her strange behavior.

"You don't look fine Mione." pressed Harry. "You didn't eat anything this morning and you seem to be getting lost in your own thoughts more often than usual...and there is no test to study for."

Before Hermione could say something Ron interjected...

"Oh come on Harry, Mione can get herself worked up over a bloody old textbook." He said taken by his own brand of humor.

"Shut it Ron!" said the green eyed wizard and amber eyed witch in unison.

For his part, the well scolded Weasley boy lowered his head and made it a point to fiddle with his fingers. It wasn't the first time he had placed his foot firmly into his mouth.

Hermione turned her attention back to Harry.

"I'm fine, stop worrying." She said rather confident in her and Dumbledore's plan for her future. "I'll have you know, I've already had my breakfast."

"Well, good then." said Harry not at all wishing to drop the subject completely.

Hermione sighed knowing all too well that they were at a stalemate in terms of what to do about her refusal to acknowledge that she had a problem, more than that...She had a problem that she didn't wish to be assisted with by her own friends.

After a few moments more Hermione found herself growing increasingly weary of her best friend's probing glare and excused herself from his presence. The situation pertaining to her future was not something she wished to discuss no matter how much Harry Potter insisted on knowing about it.

"You're going to have to talk to me sometime." Harry called as Hermione continued on her way out.

The amber eyed witch couldn't help but roll her eyes. If Harry James Potter can close himself off when faced with heavy emotional strain then so could she.

It wasn't as if she had been ashamed of her impending nuptials to their Potions Professor, it was merely the fact that she was to wed in the first place. Forced marriage to a man she hardly knew was never something she dreamed of as a little girl. Of course she had dreamed she was marrying handsome Prince like in the muggles fairytales she read so often.

Not a cantankerous Slytherin Potions Master, of course unbeknownst to her...She was going to get her Prince.


	7. Chapter 6: Imminent Harm

**Chapter 6: _Imminent Harm_**

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _The Basement, 12 Grimmauld Place, Muggle World..._

 ** _D_** istracted by her current annoyance with her best friends, Hermione Granger had not noticed the ebony clad Potions Master make his way from the basement and into the entrance hall in a bid to exit the door. The dour man looked a good deal better than he had when she had last seen him down in the kitchen, possibly due to the help of a well brewed potion. His obsidian eyes flashed a bit of malice as they landed on the unsettled young witch who's amber eyes met his gaze with all the innocence and clueless nature of a girl of fifteen possessed in terms of how the world truly worked outside of her vast number of books and dealings with idiot Gryffindor boys.

"Y-You seem to be doing well Professor." said Hermione in a bid to make conversation.

Snape narrowed his eyes at the girl as if she were nothing more than a relative annoyance and not the girl who's future depended upon his forced marriage to her. As far as he was concerned engagement not withstanding, he was free to terrorize the intrusive witch as much as before.

"And to what do I owe this unfortunate encounter?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I was just on my way out." said the amber eyed witch not at all hiding her own annoyance with her friends' lack of maturity.

"To where given the nature of your fast approaching situation?" he asked folding his arms across his ebony clad chest. "Summer is always a fond season for hunting Muggle-Borns as far as the dark lord is concerned."

Hermione eyes widened as she recalled the real reason they had all been hold up here in the first place. Voldemort had been on the loose and was turning Summer into a prime season for hunting Muggles and Muggle-borns alike given most were outside of Dumbledore's protection this time of year. It also occurred to her that Snape's skills were most needed during this time given that he had no classes to teach or students to look after. It was clear the despot had total confidence in The Potions Master as the head of Slytherin House and did not wish to impede his progress at Hogwarts but he had little to no confidence in the wizard in terms of overall loyalty and picked this summer as a way of proving wither or not he could trust his most dedicated spy in light of his defection to the Order of Phoenix in the wake of the first war's end.

The Potions Professor had seemed all the more endearing in the eyes of Hermione Granger, given all that she had pieced together about him.

"I suppose you do have a point." She conceded.

"Obviously." replied Snape seemingly unimpressed with her apparent surrender.

"Perhaps you could escort me then?" she asked although she had not considered how her suggestion would cost him.

Before Snape could give her the verbal tongue lashing he felt he felt she was due, Dumbledore interjected on his behalf.

"What a splendid idea." He said in his usual pleasant tone.

Snape narrowed his obsidian eyes at the young witch before turning his vengeful glare upon the Headmaster himself.

"Have you lost what's left of your mind old man?" He asked pointedly.

Hermione had never heard Snape speak in such a casual manner before. She had always assumed him to above such low remarks despite evidence of his biting wit when among the students. Dumbledore had been his employer and as such formalities were expected.

To further the young witch's surprise, Dumbledore chuckled a bit at the younger wizard's reply.

"Ahh, Severus." said the Headmaster fondly. "Have you so little faith in my deductive reasoning?"

Snape rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his ebony clad chest.

"You'd think that was obvious." He muttered in annoyance.

"Severus should accompany you out this evening Miss Granger." said Dumbledore turning his attention to Hermione at last.

"I I don't think that's something he wanted." She attempted to appeal to the Headmaster on her future husband's behalf.

"Nonsense." said the elder wizard with a smile. "You should have some time to get to know one another and with far too many ears wondering about this old house now is the perfect time for it."

"As you say, Headmaster." said Snape dutifully.

There were times when he could hardly tell the difference between one master from the other given their cavalier approach to anything pertaining to his personal affairs.

The Potions Master turned his attention to Hermione. The young witch couldn't get passed the intimidating glare he had fixed on her but she summoned her courage and attempted to weather through it. He was after all soon to be her husband.

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 _Open Ended Street, Muggle World..._

A cool breeze had been blowing as Hermione moved as briskly as she could to keep up with her Potions Professor's lengthy strides. He had made it clear that just because he was forced to accompany her during the walk that he was in no way going to cater to her romantic Gryffindor fantasies.

It had been a rather pleasant night one the less despite Snape going out of his way to make her feel every bit the child he saw her as despite their impending engagement.

"Keep up Miss Granger." said Snape in a low yet clearly frustrated tone.

"I'm trying." she complained unwittingly proving herself little more than the child he saw her as. "Not everyone has tree trunks for legs you know."

Snape rolled his eyes before coming to a complete stop and folded his arms across his ebony clad chest.

"If your legs moved half as much as your know it all mouth we'd be done already." He muttered in furthered annoyance.

Hermione narrowed her amber eyes at the ebony clad git she was do to marry once she came of age. She had always been of a mind to trust him and seek his assistance when needed but he was most definitely grating on her nerves with his abrasive attitude.

"Just because you are having a bad day, it doesn't mean you get to take it out I others." She said showing her own annoyance with his attitude.

Snape was about to let her know the full brunt of his rage when something in the distance caught his eye. Almost immediately, he grabbed the utterly confused young witch and pressed his pale lips to her soft pink ones. The swift change in the Potions Professor's demeanor had caught the amber eyed witch off guard. She attempted to struggle only to be pulled further into his kiss.

"I you wish to live...keep your mouth shut and play along." He said in a dangerously low tone.

As he pulled away, she heard him quickly mutter a charm that took effect in an instant. Snape turned his attention to a thick cloud of black smoke that landed in the distance. Hermione focused on Snape and his seemingly effortless transformation from uptight Potions Professor to resident death eater.

"Ah..." said a gruff voice from behind Hermione Granger. "Brother Snape...I thought that might have been you."

Snape acted as if he had not a care in the world, out late in the night with a young muggle girl no less.

"Is there a reason you are bothering me Xerius?" asked the Potions Master seemingly annoyed by the interruption of his evening.

The death eater known as Xerius smirked with his dark eyes feasting on the sight of the young woman with Snape.

"I apologize brother." He said. "I had no idea you liked to partake in the hunt." He said in awe of Snape for some reason.

"This is merely me blowing off steam." replied Snape as if he had been bored. "I'm due back at Hogwarts after all."

The death eater Xerius nodded in understanding.

"I suppose you wish to indulge alone then?" he asked still eyeing Hermione intently.

"Indeed I do." said Snape narrowing his obsidian eyes at the other death eater. "I did after all go through the trouble of luring her here."

"Of course...of course, brother." said Xerius with a wicked smile. "Indulge away...I suppose I should be heading out."

Snape pulled Hermione close to him, her chest flush with his own as she let out an involuntary moan due to the harsh contact. She had not known it, but Snape was already thinking of her in terms of being his wife...at least as far as her belonging to him. The cranky wizard's unintended possessive streak played rather well into their current situation.

"See you soon, brother Snape."said Xerius and with one last look at Hermione Granger, he was gone in a thick cloud of black smoke much as he arrived.

Once he was gone, Snape continued to hold a now trembling Hermione whom had wrapped her arms around him.

"He's gone Miss Granger." said Snape noting her fear. "If you wish to proceed..."

"I wish to return to the Black manor." She said quickly. "Please...sir."

Snape sighed. He had known all too well that this walk was a waste of his evening.

"Very well, Miss Granger." He grumbled. "Now if you would kindly remove yourself from my person."

"Oh...I'm sorry." said an abashed Hermione as she released the lean pale wizard from her hold. "I didn't realize..."

Snape walked away from her heading toward 12 Grimmauld Place. Rolling her amber eyes at his rude antics. It seemed she was in for an uphill battle as far as her impending nuptials were concerned. Still, Snape had been a far better choice than being married to someone like that Xerius death eater bloke.


	8. Chapter 7:Ramifications Of Latent Hormo

**Chapter 7: Ramifications Of Latent Hormones**

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...it's been a while and this story is still new to me...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _Open Street, Midnight, Muggle World..._

 ** _W_** ith her heart pounding thunderously in her chest, Hermione Granger attempted to move as quickly as her legs would carry her given she now understood why Snape had been so adamant about her staying inside the Manor at this time of night. The run in with the death eater Xerius still sent chills down her spine. Snape had not said two words to her since the rather awkward kiss they shared in a bid to appease the other death eater. The bushy haired witch had been fiddling with her hands as she looked at the retreating form of her Potions Professor and future husband Severus Snape. She didn't know what to make of what had been her first kiss, or at least her first kiss with a full grown wizard.

As she walked her young eyes started taking in the contours of Severus Snape's incredibly thin form. He had been rather tall, and his skin quite pale. On the outside he had not been worth noting in appearance as far as many of the girls at school were concerned. His lank raven hair had been down to his shoulders, it impressed her that he had grown it out quite a bit since her first year.

Some days he would have facial hair, others he would cut it indefinitely leaving his face a smooth as a baby's bottom when he so desired. The young witch had been intrigued if that were the proper term for her strange feelings toward this cold and seemingly uncaring man. The way he kissed her suggested he had some experience with witches despite the rumors and tales swirling about Hogwarts that he had never been with a girl in his whole life.

As she watched him walk ahead of her she couldn't help but recall his body being tense as he pressed up against her to kiss her. He seemed to have a good deal of muscle definition beneath his trademark attire despite not appearing to. She supposed it made him inconspicuous to his enemies, with them believing he had been weak and cowardly.

Snape had been silent for the remainder of the walk until they had gotten to a separate ally way.

He suddenly stopped causing a less than attentive Hermione to walk right into him. In an instant, Snape whirled on her and pressed her up against a nearby brick wall to some old muggle shop before they arrived at the cross street for 12 Grimmauld Place.

"I trust that you will forgo any foolish romantic notions about me." he said his voice dripping with coldness. "What happened between the two of us tonight was a one time thing and only because Xerius was sniffing about."

Feeling a bit numb by the chill in the air and the memory of the kiss, Hermione simply nodded without word unable to take her eyes of the Potions Master's pale lips as he spoke. She very vividly recalled them being pressed against her own and it made her heartbeat faster.

Snape proceeded to go about tonight as if nothing ever occurred but that didn't stop the young witch from imagining things that should never have been imagined when it came to the snarky Professor before her.

The Potions Professor let her go as they headed toward the Black family manor and they entered without a further word to one another. Snape descended the steps toward the basement and Hermione made her way up the stairs still reeling from the kiss she shared with the Potions Master.

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 _Hermione Granger's Bedroom, 12 Grimmauld Place, Muggle World..._

The amber eyed witch had been a bundle of nerves as she entered 12 Grimmauld Place. Her mind could not get away from the feeling of Snape's usually cruel pale lips being pressed against her soft pink ones. She could feel his heartbeat through his trademark ebony frock coat. Her heart was beating fast as she made her way toward her own room and flopped down on her bed. Most of the girls had been interested in boys like Harry or men like Lockhart but Hermione had been nursing a small crush on the snarky Potions Professor since her first year when Harry revealed that it had been Snape that tried to save him during their first year.

Since uncovering a good deal about the Potions Master in the wake of her time at Hogwarts and having him as her Professor for much of her adolescence, it was strange to see him as more than just a teacher. She couldn't imagine what it had been like for him, living between two worlds and being stretched thin as a result.

The young witch made her way beneath the covers still slightly terrified by the brief visit from Xerius the death eater and the prospect of becoming Severus Snape's eventual bride. The feeling of his lean form being pressed against her in a manner befitting both protection as well as possession had been strange. She had noted Professor Snape's obvious disliking of the other death eater despite his friendly approach and noted her gratitude to the older wizard for his agreement to protect her from the likes of his former colleagues.

As Hermione's memory of the event became much more vivid now that the shock had worn off. She could have sworn she felt something pressing against her thighs as Professor Snape held her close to him. After a while, she dismissed it and let out a breath she had not known she had been holding as she tried to get some much needed rest following the chaotic events she had to endure as of late. She had been fortunate that her friends had already gone to bed so she could avoid the rapid fire questions that would surely have come had they noted her disappearance and re-emergence with Snape of all people.

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 _The Basement, 12 Grimmauld Place, Muggle World..._

Severus Snape made his way over to his stash of Ogren's Finest. He had been more than a little incensed given that he had reacted to kissing the idiot girl and it was difficult to get the image out of his mind. The last thing he needed was to become physically attached to the bloody girl he was already being forced to marry her at the behest of his current master and employer Albus Dumbledore.

The Potions Master finished off his drink and threw the glass against the nearby wall shattering it effectively in his frustration. He had not been close to a woman in quite some time and the effects of it showed given how easily kissing the idiot girl Hermione Granger had aroused him. He detested the feeling as much as anything else but the imprint of her soft lips being pressed against his pale ones only seemed to linger.

Snape made his way over to his potions collection and pulled out a small phial with light green liquid filling it. He sighed as he uncorked it and quickly downed it relishing the relief of his erection being ended due to the impotency potion. It had been a very fortunate brew of his own making that kept him from having to participate in the dark revels given his impotency.

Voldemort brought the impotent notion hook, line, and sinker.

Moreover, Severus never had a problem with mentoring female students of a mature age due to his lack of arousal in their presence. He knew all too well that he'd have to forgo the potion once he was married to Hermione Granger, as the marriage needed to be consummated.

Turning his attention back to the firewhiskey, Snape attempted get kissing his under aged student off his already troubled mind. He sincerely hoped that she would be wise enough to let this mishap go and move on but somehow, he already knew that with her being a Gryffindor...that was never going to happen.


	9. Chapter 8:Unwanted Conversation

**Chapter 8:Unwanted Conversation**

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...I often like to explore Snape's talents in the kitchen in my work due to Alan Rickman's curiosity about the man being able to actually function in a kitchen...it was an entertaining interview...just in case there was an out of character lecture somewhere in the comments.}**_

 _ **My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _The Kitchen, 12 Grimmauld Place,The Muggle World..._

 ** _M_** orning brought with it a new set of challenges as Hermione found her sleep had been interrupted by Snape finding random excuses to kiss her. The kissing had been nice but the dreams often lead to other implications and she had not at all been ready for such a thinking as of yet. Severus Snape had still been her Potions Professor after all and she reminded herself to show him the proper respect even in her dreams.

The amber eyed witch awakened to find that she had been alone in the house as everyone else had gone before she had gotten up. There had been plenty to do to keep her self busy but noting that even Sirius Black had been off on a scouting mission to stretch his legs had been a little disheartening.

Hermione descended the stairs upon noting the sound of rattling within the confines of the kitchen. Slowly she stepped inside and found herself startled with the half naked form of her aforementioned Potions Professor searching the fridge for something to eat for the first time in days.

"Professor Snape." said Hermione in disbelief, half pleased not to be alone in the strangely unwelcoming former _Pureblood_ home of a not so pleasant old wizarding family and half shocked to see her future husband half dressed given the hour.

Severus Snape felt a chill race down his spine and it had not been due to his lack of clothing for his torso. He let out a deep and irate sigh as he backed from the fridge and placed his numerous items onto the island in the center of the magically modified kitchen.

"Do you mind, I am trying to make a sandwich." he said as she moved out of his way and watched him set about as if he were brewing a complex potion.

"It looks like you've gotten your appetite back." she said.

"So it would seem." he replied immediately setting to work slicing the rye bread in half and spreading the chosen condiments onto it.

He moved as swiftly with the butter-knife over bread as he had when chopping ingredients for a potion. It had been impressive to watch him work given his lack of enthusiasm in terms of cooking or much else when in the presence of the others.

 _At least she wouldn't starve._

Hermione had been impressed with the Potions Master's work as he fixed what appeared to be a foot long sandwich and split it in half. He passed half of the sandwich to her much to her surprise and took the other half for himself. He knew full well that she had been in search of something to eat as she had only just gotten out of bed.

Feeling rather grateful, Hermione took the sandwich and began eating noting how good it was despite the minimal effort to fix it. Truth be told she had been greatly surprised that Snape known his way around a kitchen.

"Try not to look so surprised." he replied in his usual baritone drawl. "Despite my inclination to the contrary, Dumbledore has made it so that I cannot be rid of you before our impending nuptials."

Hermione didn't know if it should be a comfort to her or an indication that her future husband and Potions Master would gladly poison her if only to get out of their upcoming marriage.

Still, she couldn't get that kiss out of her mind, despite how brief it had been.

It wasn't her first kiss by any means given that she had briefly dated Viktor Krum from Durmstrang Institute, but it was her first kiss with a man of significant age and a Professor to boot.

"I can see the wheels turning in that bushy little head of yours, Miss Granger." said Snape suddenly catching her off guard. "There is no need to make something out of nothing."

"If it was nothing then why are you so offended by me thinking about it?" she asked narrowing her amber eyes at her future husband.

"If you want to waste your time on frivolous fantasies that's your business, but projecting them upon me is another matter altogether and I do not take kindly to it." replied Snape bitterly.

He grabbed his half of the sandwich and made his way down toward the basement where he had hoped to end their conversation but he had been quite wrong given that the seemingly foolish witch chose to follow him.

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 _The Basement, 12 Grimmauld Place, Muggle World..._

Snape rolled his eyes when the scent of jasmine mixed in with the constant smells of herbs and fresh earth that accompanied any dwelling he occupied for a substantial length of time. Hermione had not even understood why she ventured into the "belly of the beast" so to speak. She had only been annoyed that Snape believed her feelings concerning their kiss for how brief it was to be a silly notion.

Given that he was to be her husband it seemed as if she couldn't measure up to some invisible standard placed upon her from his perspective that only fueled her need to gain his approval. It was worse than when they were in Potions Class and he had never been satisfied with her work enough to give her the appropriate grade for her efforts.

"I'll have you know that that wasn't my first kiss." she said in defense of herself for fear that she had truly been inadequate in his eyes.

"I am not interested in this conversation Miss Granger." said Snape with a flicker of annoyance behind his obsidian eyes. "If you mean to impress me with your less than savory background before we are forced to be married I am afraid I have no use for harlots."

Unbeknownst to Hermione whom had been hurt by her Potions Professor's words, Snape had known that Viktor had been the only boy to kiss her and it had been a chaste kiss at that.

"I-I am not a harlot Professor...Severus." she said defiantly. "Besides it isn't as if you've been a saint for these many years I'll bet you've taken quite a few witches to bed."

Snape rolled his eyes.

"And that is a wager you'd lose." he replied. "I've been celibate for quite some time that kiss, if you can call it that was the first thing in terms of contact from the opposite sex as I have had in a great many years."

Hermione had been surprised by this.

While she had not known what lead to her Potions Professor's years long vow of celibacy, she did note that Snape's vow would have to be broken on their wedding night.

"I-I didn't know.." she began.

"And how would you?" asked Snape making his way toward an easily accessible arm chair.

He turned his attention to enjoying his sandwich and began acting as if she had not been in the room. Hermione had not known what else to say to that as she sought to bow out of this conversation rather gracefully and head back upstairs before the arrival of the others.

One thing she was sure of as she reached the kitchen once more, Severus Snape was a vastly complicated wizard.


	10. Chapter 9:A Matter Of Interest

**Chapter 9: A Matter Of Interest**

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _12 Grimmauld Place, Muggle World..._

 ** _B_** oth Harry and Ron were enjoying a round of impersonation via Weasley Brothers treats with Fred and George while Hermione found herself more drawn into her own company as of late. It had only been a wonder given her impending fate upon the arrival of her birthday. It seemed the more the days passed leading up to the wedding to Snape the less she thought like a child not that she thought much like a child before hand. She had always been vastly mature for her age and Hogwarts term given that she arrived at the age of twelve.

With the upcoming marriage her curiosity about her future husband and Potions Professor only grew. She had been told that Snape was a spy for the Order of Phoenix within the ranks of Voldemort's death eaters but she never truly knew what it was he did among them or if she ever wanted to know. Dumbledore seemed to place a good deal of trust in him despite his youth when compared to the other Professors, his aged appearance aside.

There was also the kiss from the other night and their previous discussion of his celibacy. She had not inquired as to why he had chosen this route unlike so many of the other adult witches and wizards that apparently went to school with him. Snape had always been a mystery, but this new information about him had given her something to think about.

Slipping away from the sight of her friends, The curious girl had dared once more to venture into the basement where Snape kept residence while being forced to report to The Order Of Phoenix Headquarters. The Potions Professor had been out on assignment for the evening but she wanted to see if she could find out about his true role in this group. He was a Slytherin after all and the only one whom had been apart of Dumbledore's chosen few. She guessed that there had to be more to it. Unlike Pettigrew being a Gryffindor among death eaters, Snape was not a fearful man, or at least not by everyone else's standards.

Everything about him seemed to mystify and induce fear all at once.

It had certainly been true for Hermione Granger, given that they were to be wed in a few short months. The admission on the part of the Potions Master Severus Snape, that he had been celibate had only served to draw up more questions that lead her to wanting to know more about the embittered wizard. His personal life was at the very least closely guarded if he had indeed had a personal life to begin with.

The young witch made her way into the darkened basement unsure if she was doing the right thing but lead by her unwavering curiosity.

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 _The Basement, 12 Grimmauld Place, Muggle World..._

The images of Professor Snape pressing against her, the previous night had been overwhelming as his familiar scent filled the darkened space. It had been decisively cold, in this area of the house and not at all comfortable. The amber eyes of Hermione Granger had not been focused in the darkness but she feared what kind of traps or wards he had in store for someone whom had wandered into his private quarters unannounced.

Severus Snape had not been a wizard of luxury by any means, the darkened room filled with a simple cot in the far corner of the room had been his bed and there was little to no decoration or personal input on the walls. It seemed a sad thing to Hermione to note that Snape didn't really seem to have a personal touch when it came to very much of anything aside from his potions classroom and she suspected that it had been designed to be as dreary and soul crushing as possible to enhance his image of being deplorable.

"Is there some reason you find yourself inclined to invade my privacy Miss Granger?" asked Snape in a cold tone that made ice shoot down the young witch's spine.

"P-Professor." said Hermione turning to face the grim looking wizard.

He looked rather strange, his body glistening with what appeared to be sweat and his obsidian eyes wider than she had ever seen them.

"A-Are you alright?" she asked feeling nervous in his presence once more.

"Never better." replied Snape noting the contour of her youthful body.

This was to be his future wife, he supposed he could have been saddled with worse despite her incessant questions and Gryffindor meddling.

"Now that my health is not a concern, what are you doing here?" he asked moving away from the inquisitive witch and over toward his rather strange looking cot.

"Well..." Hermione began. "I...I should be going."

"What's your hurry?" asked Snape looking her over with a heated expression.

At the moment Hermione became concerned for the Potions Professor.

"P-Professor are you sure your alright?" she asked not knowing what to make of the wizard as he lied back on his cot staring up at the ceiling.

His sweat slick form was trembling or at least it appeared to be.

"Never better." he replied once more. "Why don't you run along now...it appears my patience is at an end."

Hermione nodded in agreement noting how dark his gaze was becoming.

She quickly fled the basement leaving Snape to his own devices, but it only served to fuel her curiosity about him.

Snape turned his attention to the searing pain that ripped through his body as a result of his latest folly with The Dark Lord.

He had known all too well that despite the information he gathered upon his arrival at Hogwarts and the years of dedicated service, the dark lord was less than forgiving of his apparent desertion in the wake of his death. Of course he'd never say it out loud or to any other but he meant to punish Severus for his insolence in believing another had been more powerful than he even if that other had been Albus Dumbledore.

It was good that the girl didn't see the magical gashes that lined his pale flesh nor the blood that spilled from them. The Potions Professor had gotten very skilled at hiding his wounds especially when tending the students at Hogwarts. Of course the constant presence of pain did little for his harsh temper nor did it endear him to the thousands of curious young eyes seemingly watching his every move.

He may have worked for years to inspire fear in them to get respect but that didn't stop their idol tongues from wagging in terms of speculation about him. His stance on privacy had been more incline to produce their much sought after air of mystery that only seemed to add to the tales of Hogwarts. Hermione Granger was no different in terms of these vague fantasies getting the better of her.

The ailing Snape waved his hand and called a bottle of firewhiskey to him. He uncorked the bottle and took a long drink. He had been more than willing to save the little chit's life so long as she knew her place and kept to her own business.

He simply would not tolerate snooping of any kind into his own personal affairs.


	11. Chapter 10:The Undocumented Side Effect

**Chapter 10: _The Undocumented Side Effects Of Drink And Pain Potion_**

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...because I was asked so nicely here's an extra chap...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _Hermione's Bedroom, 12 Grimmauld Place, Muggle World..._

 ** _S_** till reeling from her recent encounter with her future husband, Hermione had been stretched out in the center of her bed with a book akin to a dairy in her hands. She had been unable to tell anyone about her encounters with Professor Snape, let alone her impending marriage to the wizard so she kept her thoughts on paper for the purpose of dealing with them for the time being. The kiss she shared with him, her first by her count had been lingering in her mind despite his apparent advice for her to get over herself.

She had been so busy going into vivid details of the strange encounter that she had not noticed Severus Snape had appeared at her door. He moved with all the swiftness and apparent silence of a large cat stalking his prey. He waved his hand ensuring they wouldn't be happened upon for things to be vastly blown out of proportion he simply wished for the witch to know that he did not appreciate her increasing habit of invading his privacy.

The obsidian eyes of the Potions Master flickered with something without name as he watched her, innocent and girlish as she wrote in what appeared to be her diary. He could only imagine what gushing sickness she scribbled within the confines of the elegantly decorated books' pages. It had been a nauseating color expected of a giggly school girl and very much to her taste it appeared.

"Miss Granger." said Snape valiantly resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

The girl seemed more into what she had been writing to notice his presence.

"Miss Granger." said Snape once more losing the thin veil of patience he had attempted to hold on to.

Hermione still seemed preoccupied with her scribbling.

Finally fed up with being second fiddle to a book, Snape waved his hand and summoned the diary to him.

Almost immediately the book leapt from her grasp and into his long pale fingers.

The shaken witch had been stunned seeing Snape in her bedroom of all the other places within the Black household.

"P-Professor Snape what...what are you doing here?" she asked nearly leaping from the bed.

Snape offered a vindictive smirk as he noted her uneasiness.

"Isn't it amusing having the shoe on the other foot for a change?" he asked as she got up off the bed. "You were so keen on invading my personal space as often as you pleased I figured I'd return the favor."

"Point taken Professor, message received." she said in a rather anxious tone.

Snape delighted in the little witch's distress, it was only a fraction of what this farce of an impending marriage was causing him but it still amused him.

"Professor I need my book back please." said Hermione half willing to meet his flickering obsidian eyes.

Snape turned the book over and opened it skimming through the pages. Hermione had felt the intense node of panic fill her.

"As if I needed this stupid book to discover your nauseating infatuation for me." he said rolling his eyes. He threw it onto the bed and walked rather boldly up to her. "Only a stupid child that had not yet lived would romanticize an act committed out of necessity."

"Well how am I suppose to feel about it you big greasy git." she fired back in defense of her feelings. "It was my first kiss."

"Are you waiting for me to feel sorry for you?" he asked with an arched brow.

"No." replied Hermione folding her arms across her chest. "But perhaps Dumbledore would like to hear my little story."

Snape's eyes widened.

"You wouldn't dare." he said as if ready to pounce at a moment's notice.

"Give me a real first kiss right now or I'll tell him about your obnoxious behavior in the basement." said the determined witch.

"I will not be blackmailed by a student let alone an irritating Gryffindor." he replied.

"Whatever you say Professor." she replied. "Perhaps Mrs. Weasley would like to know a bit about what's happened."

Snape narrowed his eyes at the cheeky little chit.

"I am in no means cowing to your idiotic demands, I am simply trying to save myself the headache of having to explain what happened to The Headmaster should you go shooting your pretty little mouth off and giving our mutual acquaintances the wrong idea." he said bitterly.

"I'm sure I won't have to mention your dependence upon firewhiskey while in the presence of minors." added Hermione for good measure.

"You and Albus are two of a kind it seems." he replied still apparently bitter.

Snape walked over toward the annoying little witch and scooped her up into his arms. He had hoped at the very least to shock her into submission but she seemed undeterred.

The Potions Professor pressed his notoriously pale lips into her soft pink ones. The effect of had not been what either one of them expected as they had not noticed they were kissing for far longer than initially intended. Hermione felt light headed as she pulled back from the wizard unable to get her thoughts in order.

Snape simply wiped his mouth and glared down at her.

"That you idiot girl is as far as this goes." he said still evidently bitter about the whole exchange.

Hermione nodded numbly as he fled the room.

There had been no denying the possibly of attraction between the two of them given their combative nature.

Snape had wanted to be as far away from the little chit as he could possibly get given her nerve. It was a wonder he didn't hex her altogether. He made his way down the stairs and into the entrance hall where he took off leaving the girl alone in the house without regard for her apparent safety. His mind had been racing and the effects of the firewhiskey in his veins in combination with the pain potion only intensified his warring emotions.

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 _Hermione's Bedroom, 12 Grimmauld Place, Muggle World..._

Severus Snape came bursting back into her bedroom after being gone for two hours and stinking of more firewhiskey. He collapsed onto his backside as she glared at him through tear stained eyes.

"You miserably git." she said angrily. "How dare you leave me in here alone with that thing on the wall hissing all sorts of undesirable things."

Snape chuckled at this.

"You look quite fetching when you're all red with anger and your hands are on your hips." he said apparently amused.

Hermione couldn't believe it.

"Professor are you feeling alright?" she asked like so many times before.

"Never better." replied Snape as per the usual.

"You're drunk aren't you?" asked the witch unsure of what to make of her Potions Professor's current condition.

"I prefer to think of it as self-punishment." he replied.

"Why would you want to punish yourself sir?" she asked with concern.

"How little you know of this world...silly girl." he replied looking up at the ceiling and falling onto his back.

The annoyed witch watched her future husband lying on his back on her bedroom floor.

"You know you never did tell me why or how long you've been celibate." she said glaring down at the downed wizard.

"I believe we've discussed minding our own business." he said.

"That was before you kissed me and left me for two hours to get drunk." replied Hermione with her arms folded across her chest.

Snape rolled his eyes.

"What the fuck do I care anymore...my life was never my own." he muttered. "I haven't been with a woman muggle or witch in years."

"Define years." replied Hermione knowing Slytherins were keen on avoiding details.

"November 22nd 1976." replied Snape glaring at the ceiling. "I was sixteen at the time and the witch I had the displeasure of being with sought other prospects following our brief encounter."

Hermione's eyes widened.

"S-So you're no more experienced than I am." she said seemingly pleased by this news.

"At least I've done it." replied Snape bitterly. "It's more than I can say for any of you lot."

"Did she love you?" asked Hermione inquisitive as always.

"I believed as much at the time." replied Snape with an exhausted sigh. "As it turned out I was merely a practice device for whom she truly wanted."

"I'm sorry to hear that Professor." said Hermione noting the hidden sadness behind his tone.

Snape waved off her sympathy.

"I don't need you to feel sorry for me Granger." he hissed. "Such is what's become of my life...I've become accustomed to it by now."

"But that was different Professor, she was the first girl you've ever been with." said the amber eyed witch feeling rage build for whomever it was that had hurt him so deeply.

"Love isn't for everyone." he said sitting up and meeting her gaze. "The sooner you learn that the better off you'll be."

"I don't believe that Sir." she replied.

"Of course not." he scoffed. "You live in a world of romanticized views as per your girlish nature."

"Everyone deserves love." said Hermione.

Snape rolled his eyes as he got to his feet.

"I'll be sure to relay that message to the dark lord the next time he calls for me." he replied. "Until then...enjoy your delusions while they last...so few of us can still taste the air of innocence in this day and age."

With that he made his way back down into the darkness of the basement just as the house became filled once more with smiling faces and idle chatting. In the midst of it all Hermione's mind kept wondering back to the condition of the wizard whom had barricaded himself into the depths of the manor where there had not been a single notion of laughter.


	12. Chapter 11:The Lure Of Mystery

**Chapter 11: _The Lure Of Mystery_**

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _The Study, 12 Grimmauld Place, Muggle World..._

 ** _O_** ne might have believed the brightest witch of her age would have had the good sense to stay out of the basement after being repeatedly informed by her Potions Professor that he had not wished for nor did he enjoy her company, but that paled in comparison to her overly curious nature. More often than not she found herself leaving the friends she managed to make during her first year at Hogwarts as they amused themselves and turned her attention back to the man she was slated to marry the day she came of age. Professor Snape had often stayed out of sight unless he had been attending a meeting or reporting directly to Dumbledore. He always made the excuse of being surrounded by Gryffindors and how he being a Slytherin felt more comfortable on his own. Molly Weasley had tried her hand at mothering him only to be met with a wall of ice and jagged stone in terms of his wit and overall rejection of her annoying meddling.

Harry occasionally picked fights with the older wizard and found himself constantly backed by his godfather and Professor Lupin. Hermione often had rows with Ron over trivial things mostly having to do with his lack of sensitivity to the feelings or needs of others, namely her own. Snape had a few rows with Sirius Black that had to be quelled by Dumbledore but that was about it.

For the most part everyone either got along or avoided each other.

One particular late night however, Hermione Granger found herself sitting alone in the study with a book in her clutches. She had desired peace and privacy due to both Harry and Ron interrupting her private reading on a frequent basis to settle petty matters between them. It boggled the mind how often boys like her best friends frequently showed their immaturity. She began mentally comparing them to Snape before she could catch herself as she wondered what the difference had been between them.

It had occurred to her, that Snape had been gone for nearly a week taking off one afternoon and neglecting to return. There had been speculation on the part of the adults in the Order Of Phoenix that he had run into a bit of trouble while answering a summons from the despot Voldemort. Hermione had been attempting to keep her mind from speculating the worst and sought to read to do so.

The Black Family Manor had been silent as almost everyone had gone to bed.

The amber eyes of Hermione Granger shifted from her book to the elegant grandfather clock on the opposite wall from where she was seated. She was startled by a small crash coming from the entrance hall and a thud that took place afterward. The noise didn't seem to get anyone else's attention but it had certainly gotten hers.

Hermione got to her feet and carefully investigated the strange occurrence.

She ventured into the entrance hall and found herself exposed to a bloodied and battered body, male given the size and unresponsive from the looks of it. She quickly pulled her wand and cast a low _lumos_ charm. She put a hand over her mouth to stop the shocked scream that threatened to awaken the household.

The bloodied and battered male had been none other than Professor Snape and he had apparently blacked out from his wounds.

Acting rather quickly, Hermione set to work getting the poor wizard down to the basement where she was sure he'd have supplies for just such an occasion. No one else had stirred in the manor, not even Kreacher came prowling at this late hour.

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 _The Basement, 12 Grimmauld Place, Muggle World..._

Severus Snape had been feverish as his obsidian eyes struggled to focus his rather blurred vision. He was attempting to move but found his body would not obey his command given how beaten and exhausted he had been. He could vaguely make out a sweet voice calling to him and offering reassurance but he could hardly make out the face of the lovely figure before him.

He winced as soft delicate fingers ventured across his bruised deep purple flesh that had once been pale and further marked by scars. The sudden sensation of warmth filled him despite his agonized trembling. The injured Professor managed to grip what he could barely identify as bed sheets. His mind tried to make sense of the strange notion that he had been back in his basement at 12 Grimmauld place but for some reason he was surrounded by softness and warmth, the scent of his potions ingredients had been evident but he seemed to have been placed in a bed of some sort.

"Just hold on." said the sweet voice again as he tried to place where he had heard it before.

In his weakened state and delirium he called out to whom the voice had been in his head.

"Lily..." he said softly.

"Shhhh." came the voice dripping in understanding and sympathy.

He felt a node of rage swell within him. There had only been one witch capable of such annoying innocence and it wasn't Lily.

The Potions Master's obsidian eyes opened with a flicker of rage and he found himself face to face with Hermione Granger.

"What do you think you are doing?" he hissed in outrage despite his condition.

"I...You needed help sir." she said meeting his gaze despite her nervousness.

"And who gave you permission to go snooping about my quarters and fondling my person?" asked the embittered Snape.

"There was so much blood...and you needed help." said Hermione in her own defense.

"Afraid I was going to die before we were forced down the isle?" he asked with a sneer.

"I...No!" replied Hermione filling her own rage build. "I was only trying to help you...moody git..."

Snape rolled his eyes as he attempted to sit up. He noted that he had been bandaged across his torso and one of his wrists. He turned his attention to the bottle of firewhiskey that had been sitting on the table on the opposite end of the room.

"Accio Whiskey." he said reaching out with his apparently bandaged arm to collect it.

Despite the pain it caused he seemed to enjoy making Hermione wince at bit in reaction.

"Sir...I just gave you a good deal of potions to heal you...I don't believe drinking that is a good idea in combination." she said matter-of-factly.

"Who's The Potions Professor and who's the student that can't even manage an outstanding in his class despite all her incessant questions and useless fact memorizing?" he said sneering at her once more.

Hermione was indignant glaring at him as if she could breathe fire and placing her hands on her slender hips.

"I would have gotten an "O" if a certain moody git would have given me my proper grade but given his prejudice against Gryffindors or witches with even a small shred of intellect I am forced to suffer through inadequate grading." she countered. "And since we are on the subject of grading, your sloppy spidery scrawl looks as if it's something a barely walking child could manage."

Snape narrowed his eyes back at the young witch.

"Why don't you try sitting through a night of unforgivable curses and then grade parchment till mid-morning and let me see how your precious girlish scribble would look." he said annoyed. "I mean honestly, who thinks doing their work with hearts and smiling faces is a show of one's grasp of magical academics?"

"At least it's legible." Hermione shot back.

"You are nothing more than a silly little girl playing at adulthood." hissed Snape as his gaze turned cold. "You know next to nothing about the real world."

"And I suppose a cantankerous git sulking about in a basement has a better sense of the way things are?" asked Hermione still not willing to give an inch.

Snape turned up his firewhiskey and forced himself to his feet. His decision proved to be a mistake as he almost immediately became light-headed. Forgoing her initial annoyance at him, Hermione was quickly at his side before he hit the ground.

"You need to rest." she said in a stern tone.

Snape chuckled unsure if it was genuine amusement or the firewhiskey getting to him. She had reminded him a good deal of Minerva McGonagall when she really got going.

"It appears that I inspire something akin to mother-cub syndrome in you Gryffindor witches." he said still amused.

Hermione rolled her eyes and smiled when he allowed her to help him back into bed.

As she helped him, her hand rested against the non-bruised portion of his chest and his breath caught in his throat.

For a moment their eyes met and a flicker of something had been behind his obsidian eyes.

He reached up and pulled the unsuspecting little witch into a spur of the moment kiss. At the last second, he pulled away regaining his senses and passed out from the combination of pain, drink and potions.

Hermione had been stunned as her amber eyes fell upon the unconscious wizard. If anything were to be said about Professor Snape, it could be that he had been a vastly complicated wizard.

With a sigh, she covered him gingerly with a sheet in a bid to keep him from overheating and left him to his slumber. She made the journey up the stairs toward her own bedroom unable to get his frequent tendency for surprise kissing her out of her mind. She wondered briefly if his behavior would drastically change once they were back at Hogwarts. Either way, she was due to get her answer given they were headed back now that the summer was at an end.


	13. Chapter 12:The Familiar And The Not So

**Chapter 12: _The Familiar And The Not So Familiar_**

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _The Great Hall, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

 ** _I_** dol chatter filled the vast Great Hall as students from every house relished the excitement of returning to Hogwarts for yet another term. As per the usual there were sweets and pastries of every sort available as many hands reached out to the centers of the lined tables and filled their plates as well as their mouths with them. Slytherin had been on their best behavior if just barely due to Snape sitting at the Staff table. His face had been as expressionless as a marble statue as he glared out at his past, present, and future snakes. His dark gaze occasionally shifted toward the Gryffindor table where he did little to hide his contempt for those seated.

The emerald green eyes of Harry Potter glared back at him over a plate of pastries. He had never seemed to be able to hide his disdain for the Potions Professor and everyone despite filling more than a little intimidated by the surprisingly swift wizard agreed in some form or another sympathized with him. Hermione had taken care not to draw any attention to her own occasional glances at the staff table with Professor McGonagall watching her like a hawk. She smiled at her Head of House and glanced briefly at The annoyed Potions Professor.

Most of the time the solitary wizard skipped out on dinner in the great hall, sighting more important matters to attend but during the first few weeks school was in session Dumbledore made it mandatory for him to be present.

Snape had eaten little to nothing as usual. Choosing instead to turn dinner into another brooding session. The witch had been curious as to how their strange relationship would progress given it had only been one month and a couple of weeks before they would be bound in matrimony. Outside of Hogwarts, Snape proved to be vastly complex and innately bitter about life and anything in terms of happiness.

Hermione continued to finish off her dinner doing her best to ignore Ron's open-mouth chewing and Harry's radiated hatred of her soon-to-be husband. It seemed only Ginny had been refreshed by the summer's end and ready to get back on the Quidditch field. She had been polishing her Quidditch stick for hours when they first arrived and got settled into their dormitories.

"Are you gonna eat that?" asked Ron breaking Hermione from her train of thought.

Her amber eyes narrowed as she took in the sight of red filling plastered across the red head wizard's face.

"You know it's rude to speak with your mouth full." she said disgusted.

"What's up your bum?" asked the red head wizard seemingly offended by her preference for common decency.

"You know what Ronald...take the whole bloody plate I've suddenly lost my appetite." she said getting up from the table and making her way through the large door in a bid to exit The Great Hall.

Her departure had not gone unnoticed as Severus Snape's obsidian eyes drifted toward the closing door as the bushy haired witch stepped through it. He had not been much for the antics of his students at Hogwarts either, but he had to admit Granger had a point when it came to the youngest Weasley boy's unnerving need to disgust those around him.

Albus Dumbledore smiled brightly as he noted the attention his Potions Master had given to Miss Granger's exit. It was only a matter of time before they were wed and already their interactions were of interest, of course their arrangement had been purely to keep Hermione safe given that she was an invaluable asset to young Harry Potter and therefore instrumental in the upcoming battle against the Dark Lord.

"Something on your mind Albus?" asked Snape noting the old fool's gawking at him.

"I am thinking of what I would like to have for dessert tonight." replied Dumbledore with a pleasant smile and an unnerving twinkle behind his blue eyes.

"I shudder to think of what goes on in that spacious cavern you call a mind." said Snape staring down at his own plate. He hadn't been in the mood to touch anything and as a result it was still as covered as it had been when he first sat down to this annoyance of a meal.

"You really should eat something." said Dumbledore noting the younger wizard's lack of appetite. "

"I never knew you cared." replied Snape pushing the plate aside and turning his attention to getting up from his seat.

Before any other word could be said, Snape hastily retreated through the teacher's exit.

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 _The Corridors, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

Hermione had been fuming and to be honest more than a little mortified by Ron's behavior, of course she knew all too well that had not been the root of what was bothering her. Noting that Snape had been reluctant to indulge in tonight's meal as well, she could only stand to guess that he too felt the pressure from the impending day they would be wed.

The lone witch slowly made her way down the deserted corridors unable to think of anything except what the future held for her as far as death eaters being out for her blood. She had seen the injuries done to Snape back at 12 Grimmauld Place. There had been significant reason to believe that Professor Snape would endure much worse should he be wed to her.

From what he had revealed to her during their strange chats back at the Order Of Phoenix Headquarters, The Potions Professor had simply been used by others all his life and she had no intention of being added to the list even if it meant her own life would be in jeopardy.

"Going somewhere?" asked a familiar voice dripping with amusement and a hint of spite.

The witch turned around to see that Professor Snape had fled the dining hall as well and looked to be taking a special interest in her current issue of the day.

"P-Professor Snape." she said suddenly nervous in his presence, a left over habit when wondering the halls of Hogwarts.

"Weasley is quite the grotesque one of the bunch isn't he?" mused The Professor looking her over.

"Ron is Ron I suppose." replied Hermione half-heartedly.

"Indeed he is." said Snape noting the look of anguish that filed across her young face. "Your last month of freedom should be spent with you enjoying the things of a child."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him.

"I am not a child." she countered.

"Sooner or later, you will come to realize that you are indeed a child." said Snape meeting her fierce gaze. "And when that time comes it will be far too late to do anything about it."

"What's that suppose to mean?" she asked.

Snape simply smirked and went on his way. Hermione turned toward Gryffindor tower desperate to be as far from the meddling git as possible before he concocted a new way to make her feel worse about herself.


	14. Chapter 13:Maturity VS Impropriety

**Chapter 13: Maturity V.S Impropriety**

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _ **{"** **Sister Christian...**_ _ **Oh the time has come...**_ _ **And you know that you're the only one...**_ _ **To say okay...**_ _ **Where you going...**_ _ **What you looking for...**_ _ **You know those boys...**_ _ **Don't want to play no more with you...**_ _ **It's true...**_ _ **You're motoring...**_ _ **What's your price for flight...**_ _ **In finding mister right...**_ _ **You'll be alright tonight...** **"}Sister Christian, Night Ranger**_

 _The Corridor,Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

 ** _R_** on had been as impossible as usual when it came to all things Hermione related. The two of them had gotten into a row before breakfast and he spent most of the day sulking. Harry could do little to stop the erupting friction as Ron once more made an insensitive comment about Hermione not at all being a real girl because she would rather study than spend the day snogging some boy and being half way to pregnant. He threw the names of the girls he's felt up in hall closets in her face and she stamped rather angrily on his foot.

"SHE'S BLOODY MENTAL!" shouted Ron nursing his throbbing foot. "That's why she can't ever get a boyfriend and needs to hang around us all the time."

"Shut up Ron." Harry warned.

Before Harry could finish the aforementioned warning, Hermione had already whipped out her wand and sent a series of painful hexes after the red head wizard whom had been much too "injured" to hop out of the way.

Unfortunately for the Golden Trio, their little spat happened to be in the wrong location given they each were headed to Potions for their next class for the day and Professor Snape had stormed out into the corridor to handle the situation as befitting a wizard of his station. With a glare he quieted the entire argument and noted the horror on the faces of Gryffindor's elite.

"And to think I didn't believe this day was going to be any fun at all." he said taking in the anguished face of Ron Weasley before turning to face Hermione. "Explain."

"W-Well Professor...Ron got what was coming to him and Harry had nothing to do with it." replied Hermione meeting his harsh gaze.

"Bloody Hell!" shouted Ron angrily. "She's mental...she hexed me!"

Snape turned his attention to the harsh glare of emerald green eyes never leaving him since the second he came out of his classroom.

"Is this true Mr. Potter?" asked Snape with his arms folded across his ebony clad chest.

"Most of it." he replied rather bitterly.

He had not relished speaking with Snape nor did he like the idea of having to tattle on Hermione but he knew Snape would pick his brain and try to find some way to punish him for what happened.

"Ron called her names and she reacted." he said still evidently bitter.

Snape turned his attention to Ron.

"That will be fifteen points from Gryffindor, Mr. Weasley for inciting a disturbance while class is in session." he said in a biting tone.

Then the Potions Professor turned his attention to Harry.

"That's five points from you as well Mr. Potter for your insolence when being questioned by a Professor." he added.

Harry did his best to fight the urge to roll his eyes not wishing to give Snape the satisfaction of taking more points from his house due to his apparent hatred of him.

"Run along boys." he instructed the two wizards of Gryffindor. "Well in your case Weasley...hop along would be more appropriate."

Ron hissed in apparent agony as he struggled to move as quickly from Snape's sight as possible and entering the Potions classroom with Harry Potter trailing behind him, The Potions Professor turned his attention to Hermione Granger.

"It appears Miss Granger, that you are just a hot bed of mischief as of late." he said with his obsidian eyes flickering in amusement. "Might I suggest, you find something more productive to consume your time?"

"I hate you." she said unable to help herself.

"Ten Points from Gryffindor for attacking a student in front of my class room Miss Granger." he said still amused. "However, you've earned five points for providing me with a means for entertainment."

Hermione knew she was better off keeping quiet from this point. Whatever Professor Snape had in store for her was bound to be humiliating.

"Get to your seat, Miss Granger." he replied in his usual Professor tone. "And that will be another five points for being tardy to my class."

The innate witch glared murderously at him.

He knew very well that she was only tardy because of him stalling her entrance into the class room. Still choosing the high road, Hermione did her best to ignore her Potions Professor and made her way to her seat.

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 _Potions Classroom, Slytherin Dungeons, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

By the time Potions had ended, Both Harry Potter and Hermione Granger were fuming. Harry had been annoyed with the way Snape had taken advantage of a disagreement between Ron and Hermione to extract as many points as possible from Gryffindor. He had not hid his callous move form either of them and it only seemed to spurn Draco Malfoy's incessant babbling further.

Harry finally had enough and ended up spilling Draco's cauldron on his lap prompting more points to be taken from Gryffindor despite the "accident" and the issue of detention with Argus Filch for two weeks.

Draco screamed due to the searing pain via the burning potion and he narrowed his eyes at Harry Potter.

"My father will hear about this!" he groaned.

"Of course he will." replied Harry bitterly. "Daddy's little boy."

"At least I have a father." spat Draco angrily. "And a Mother."

"SILENCE!" shouted Snape making all the students including Hermione tremble. "Detention for you Mr. Potter has been extended to three weeks as for you Mr. Malfoy, the moment you recover you will be serving a week's detention...with me."

Hermione's brow arched once she noted the Potions Professor's apparent annoyance with Draco.

The sleek blond wizard did nothing to further incur the wrath of his Head of House.

Snape set about cleaning up the potions mess and administering a potion to his most prominent Slytherin. Once the bell rang to signal the end of class, everyone else filed out save for Hermione Granger and Professor Snape.

"I noticed you didn't take any house points from Draco." she narrowing her amber eyes at him.

Snape had done his best to ignore her as he erased the blackboard behind him.

"I know you can hear me." she said.

"Is it a wonder that you Gryffindors are a gluttons for punishment?" he sighed be fore turning to face her.

As he had suspected the indignant witch had her hands on her hips and the look on her face had been one of annoyance.

"Am I to be interrogated now?" he asked flicking his wrist causing the class room door to close behind her.

He tossed up a ward and a silencing charm in a bid to keep lingering students from eavesdropping.

As a Slytherin himself he knew the interest in collecting secrets, even if they are from the Head of House. Information was power within the wizarding world and it mattered whom wielded it with the utmost care. He had not been an effective spy just because fools considered his presence with little regard.

"Draco deserved to have points taken too." said Hermione.

"And I suppose Potter was suppose to be spared detention due to dumping expensive and not to mention dangerous potions ingredients on Mr. Malfoy?" asked Snape with an arched brow.

"No." she replied. "Harry deserved detention but it would not have happened if Draco would have left him alone."

"Am I to take it that Mr. Malfoy being burned wasn't enough punishment for his insolence, perhaps I am to treat him horribly despite his injury simply to satisfy your dislike of him?" asked Snape pointing out her flawed logic as far as his handling of Draco had been.

Hermione thought briefly on this. He had been right of course, Draco was burned as a result of his comments and punishing him due to his antics when he was already in pain was just rubbing salt on an open wound.

"Miss Granger, there is a fine line between maturity and impropriety." he said. "I suggest you find out where you stand while you have the time because it wouldn't due for me to be wed to a mere child."

With the last quip he opened the doors and lifted the wards. A new flood of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs came into the room watching the lingering Gryffindor with confused eyes.

"I suspect that you are late for your next class Miss Granger." said Snape with a blank expression despite the amusement behind his obsidian gaze.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him before taking her leave.

"Good day to you...sir." she replied doing her best to bite her tongue in front of the other curious students.

Snape turned his attention to the newly filled class room.

"Let us begin." he said with voice adopting it's familiar coldness that often greeted his students and introduced their sense of utter dread.


	15. Chapter 14:Agony and Aggravation

**Chapter 14: Agony and** **Aggravation**

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _The Grounds, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

 **N** arrowed eyes of furious obsidian watched as Hermione Granger sat giggling with Potter and Weasley. In less time than four weeks' time, the unnervingly insufferable little chit would be bound to him as per the ordinance of wizarding law and Dumbledore's will. To say that he was bitter was an understatement given his life was now dictated by a deranged old man whom believed his blasted meddling was "For The Greater Good". Snape nearly growled as he made his way back toward his office and the various stacks of parchment he was set to grade. He had no doubt that Granger had gone above and beyond the desired instructions in a bid to show off to the other students in typical Gryffindor fashion.

Across the grounds, Hermione's light colored eyes noted the familiar retreating form of ebony robes billowing out of sight. She had noticed that Snape had been watching her and did her best to appear as carefree as possible. She didn't understand what it was about her that seemed a natural divergent to him. He had gone out of his way to be a rude and unapproachable git but there was always a glimmer of something behind his eyes that suggested there was more to him that met the eye.

Curiosity, had been the main reason she ignored his antics and bitterness and she had been determined to know what lay just beyond that scathing mask of insults and aggression. Both Ron and Harry had been questioning her lack of attention to trivial things like Quidditch and flying. She had become more irritable in the past few months than she had been since they had known her, even with her previous mounted frustrations pertaining to their brainless antics.

"Mione." said Harry as if he had been impatient.

"Yes?" she asked meeting his emerald eyed gaze.

"You're doing it again." he said.

"Doing what?" asked Hermione.

"You're off into space somewhere." said Harry observing her. "That's the fifth time today you've done that."

"I'm sorry." she replied feeling a bit ashamed that she had been once more ignoring her friends. "I..seem to have a lot on my mind."

"I'll say." replied Ron. "Big test coming up?"

"No...well my birthday is only a three weeks away." she said.

"That's right." said Ron suddenly turning red.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him.

"You forgot didn't you?" she asked.

"N-No." replied the red head wizard in his own defense. "I was just trying to think of a really good present for the occasion."

The annoyed witch didn't believe him one bit.

"Let's see if I forget to tutor you on McGonagall's transfiguration test this Wednesday." she huffed and got to her feet.

"Mione...wait." said Ron attempting to smooth things over with her.

"Forget it Ron." said Harry with a sigh. "She's not going to hear a word you say."

Hermione had been halfway across the grounds and on the edge of the forbidden forest before she stopped and burst into tears.

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 _The Forbidden Forest, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

Severus Snape had been finished grading and despite the enormous cramp in his writing hand, he felt it would be something of a good distraction to fetch a bit of Potions ingredients from the forbidden forest while he was gifted with a very rare few moments of free time. He had been well aware of the lack of time he would have to himself once the marriage was in place. The Ministry Of Magic had been obsessed with replenishing the lineage of magical blood following the first two wars the wizarding world found itself sucked into. One via Gellert Grindelwald and the other via Tom Riddle known to all as "The Dark Lord" Voldemort. It stood to reason that they would want the married magical couples to procreate as much as possible and that they had taken their matches very seriously.

Snape had not considered whom he would have been compatible with despite being forced into this arranged marriage with Hermione Granger. In all honesty he had not even given marriage a first thought given his limited experience with witches even in a sexual sense. The last had been during a drunken encounter when he was sixteen and the number of trysts had descended to none for the past fifteen years. No witch wanted someone like him and he was quite sure that not even Hermione Granger would have thought of entertaining a sexual fantasy of him given whom he was and what he looked like.

With a sigh, Snape ventured into the forest and began his search for ingredients.

He had managed to collect quite a bit of _Hanging Moss_ , _Imp stool_ , and two _Canis Roots._

It seemed a good day for harvest until he spotted a sobbing Hermione Granger sitting on a rather large gray boulder.

He wanted nothing more than to turn and walk in the opposite direction not knowing anything in the least of how to comfort a teenage girl, especially a teenage girl possibly sobbing at the prospect of being married to him.

He had managed to take a step away when the overwhelming sense of someone watching the girl filled him. He could tell by the rancid stench that it had been Xerius. The young death eater had locked onto Granger's sickeningly sweet scent ever since that night he had come into contact with her. Moving with purpose, Snape managed to conceal her identity as he quickly scooped the little witch into his arms and pressed her against his chest.

"Do not move." he said coolly and only so that she could hear him. "It seems we have an audience."

"W-What do you mean?" whispered Hermione nervously.

"Our old friend Xerius had taken a liking to you." replied Snape. "I have no doubt that he wishes to take you but if he cannot have you this way...he will do his utmost to win your hand in the marriage lottery."

"I-I won't marry him!" said Hermione letting her feelings of disgust get the better of her.

Snape rolled his eyes.

"Control yourself." he ordered sharply causing her to tremble some in his grasp.

His issued order looked to Xerius as if he were instructing his servant in a bid to conceal their "relationship" from the masses of Hogwarts. Agitated, the death eater left the forest convinced that Snape had indeed spoiled the prize before he could get to it.

No sooner had Snape noted the other death eater's departure he stepped back from the witch seemingly disgusted at having had her come into contact with his person.

"I don't know why you were foolish enough to venture out here and remain so late in the afternoon Miss Granger, but you'd better get back to Hogwarts immediately." he said aggravated. "I do not intend to go further than I have to just to save your hide from another roaming death eater."

He made a show of dusting himself off and returned his attention to gathering potions ingredients. Hermione felt light headed after inhaling the scent of herbs and fresh earth from the wizard that held her only a few short moments ago.

Once she had come to her senses, Hermione made her way back toward Hogwarts Castle as Professor Snape instructed. The odd sensation she felt when he held her close to him made her feel quite dazed and utterly confused.


	16. Chapter 15:Torment Of Dreams And Memory

**Chapter 15: Torment Of Dreams And Memory**

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _Snape's Quarters,Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

 **A** slow methodical burn of the firewhiskey as it made it's way down the immensely pale throat of The Potions Master, Severus Snape had been less than comforting. In fact it had been the opposite, his long and equally pale finger gripped the glass with exceeding force as his mind both resisted and gave in to the urge to drift back into the realm of memory.

He could see her as plain as the day he met her.

 _The long red hair hanging down her back as her light blue cotton flower print dress complete with white lace trim, swayed in combination of her seemingly graceful girlish movements and the light breeze that had passed through._

 _She had not been a girl then, but a lovely young teenager._

 _Her eyes of the purest emerald flickered with a combination of mischief and apparent desire._

The Potions Professor's own obsidian gaze had been focused on the red-orange flames that danced along the half ash log that burned brightly within the fireplace. The dim glow filled the otherwise darkened quarters and provided a dull warmth despite the draft of being so far from the surface of the castle grounds.

The absence of sunlight did little to discourage him from inhabiting such a dreary place. It had been safe compared to a lot of the quarters in the castle and hard to find. Even the Slytherin students found it daunting to brave the narrow winding path to get to the Potions Master's private quarters. Part of the reason had been that the place was once home to Salazar Slytherin, and not even former Head of House Horace Slughorn had ventured into these parts. It seemed fitting that Severus Snape should be the only Slytherin worth his salt to inherit such a colossal find.

The images of the teenage girl with strawberry hair and emerald eyes came back to him despite the many attempts of his hard pressed mind to suppress her memory.

He recalled the heavy breaths and the sensation of need as he gazed into her eyes as if entranced. He would have given her the world if she asked for it.

"Stupid boy." muttered Snape recalling his antics back then.

He knew now that it was foolish wishing that guided him to relinquish what mostly women held so dear.

Another glass and Snape was feeling the familiar sting once more.

He gave no attention to the tears that streamed down his sallow pale cheeks.

The images of her before him had been much too vivid to ignore.

 _"Come on Sev." she had said ever so sweetly._

Snape threw the glass he clutched between his pale fingers into the flames and stormed off toward his potions stash. He had enough of these memories and their twisted agony.

He grabbed the nearest phial of thick swirling purple liquid.

"I think not." he said before uncorking the phial and quickly drinking down the contents.

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 _The Girls Dormitories, Gryffindor tower, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

Sleep had not come easy for a fretting Hermione Jean Granger. The images of the Potions Professor moving about the classroom like a raging storm of warring emotions had filled her weary mind. His voice drawled out of his especially pale lips in the same low ringing tone pitched due to the enormous aquiline nose he was born with.

The longer the lesson went on the more Snape's eyes went from the other students, whom all seemed to fade from existence to her own innocent amber orbs.

The young witch tossed and turned a little more finding the rustling of sheets did little to discourage the continuation of her seemingly vivid dream.

 _"Miss Granger." he said and before she knew it she was pressed against him._

 _The numerous buttons that lined his trademark attire beneath her finger tips was all she could feel of him. A low growl rumbled deep within his throat briefly before he leaned down to kiss her on the lips._

The sound of the alarm went off and Hermione found herself awakened just when her soft pink lips were about to come into contact with those upturned pale ones of Severus Snape.

"Hermione wake up." said the concerned voice of Ginny Weasley.

Hermione groaned as she slowly opened her eyes.

"What...?" she asked.

"Hermione...you're going to be late." said the red head witch leaning over the drowsy witch.

"L-Late?" said Hermione hopping out of bed. "You can't be serious?"

She sprang out of bed quickly and raced over toward the wardrobe.

"I-I'm late." she said stunned glancing at the clock ticking on the wall. "And I've got to get dressed."

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 _The Corridors, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

The throbbing headache that accompanied the light of the morning sun when Severus Snape reached the mid-corridors to venture into the Great Hall had seen to him retreating toward his classroom. He had rounded the corner when something soft crashed into his chest and subsequently hit the ground. An annoyed growl escaped his lips when he came face to face with a certain bushy haired know it all.

"Well...well." said Snape noting the disheveled appearance of the young witch as she glared back at him. "Running a little late are we Miss Granger?"

"I-I simply overslept Professor." replied Hermione scrambling to her feet as she tried not to look at the ebony clad chest of her Potions Professor or the numerous buttons that plagued her dreams the night before.

Snape had been highly attuned to the strange behavior Hermione was exhibiting. It had been his personal hobby as well as detrimental to his position as Spy for the order of Phoenix to note every aspect of odd behavior and Hermione was definitely getting his undivided attention despite the headache.

"Something the matter?" he asked.

"N-No replied Hermione attempting to keep from looking directly at him.

"Silly girl." he replied. "I suggest you get over yourself quickly lest you draw unwanted attention."

Hermione nodded understanding his meaning and collected herself.

"T-Thank you Professor Snape." she said rather shakily.

The nervous witch made something of a mad dash toward the Great Hall.

Snape smirked despite the throbbing in his head.

"Silly girl." he repeated amused despite the pain then proceeded toward his office.

He had been badly in need of a sober-up potion.


	17. Chapter 16:A Forward Push

_**Chapter 16: A Forward Push**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...It's been a while for this one...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _Snape's Office, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

 **H** aving done away with the constant throbbing in his head, Severus Snape turned his attention to the stack of parchments on his desk. It looked to be another long morning as he began to sift through them not at all in a hurry to grade them. There was an unwanted knock at the large oak door that had closed this space off from the rest of Hogwarts and cemented his privacy. With a sigh, he turned his attention to it, knowing all too well that whomever was on the other side of it, they were not in the business of bringing good news.

"Enter." he said turning his attention back to the parchments.

The large oak door opened and a very cheerful looking Albus Dumbledore made his way inside.

"Good morning, Severus." he said with a pleasant smile.

"I can hardly see what's good about it if you are here." muttered Snape not looking up from his desk.

Dumbledore didn't seem to take offense to the snide comment. Most of the time the younger Potions Professor wondered if the old goat had it in him to actually be offended by anything given his lifestyle, yet it didn't stop him from indulging in his own favorite pass time riddling the old man with snide comments and sarcasm.

"What brings you by Headmaster?" asked Snape at last meeting the elder wizard's eyes.

"I've come to inform you that the arrangements for your wedding to Miss Granger have been made." said the elder wizard with an unnerving twinkle behind his blue eyes. "Once she comes of age...you are to be wed indefinitely."

"Tell me something I don't know." replied Snape bitterly turning his attention back to the parchments.

"You are aware that there can be no use of contraceptives wizarding or muggle world wise." said Dumbledore in a rather serious tone.

"I am well aware of the rules regarding the new decree." replied Snape still embittered about the upcoming wedding.

"Very well." said Dumbledore. "I do not suppose I need to warn you as to the dangers you will face once the dark lord knows of your intentions toward Miss Granger."

The Potions Master had known all too well that once the dark lord and the other death eaters found out about his involvement with Hermione Granger, he was as good as fodder for target practice.

"I am." he replied still embittered. "If the dark lord sees fit to end my miserable life for this no doubt ridiculous stunt so be it."

The Headmaster sighed taking pity upon the younger wizard.

"Let us hope that it doesn't come to that." he said.

Snape rolled his eyes.

As far as he was concerned it didn't matter which side he worked for, both the despot and the old fool were one in the same when it came to forcing their collective wills upon others in the wake of their own selfish ambitions.

"Anything else?" asked Snape wishing to cut this conversation short, he had only so much time to himself before the Granger girl would be invading what remained of his miserable life and he wished to have it while he could.

"I would like a full report on your next meeting with the dark lord." replied Dumbledore. "I have reason to believe you should be summoned in the coming days."

"Am I to be surprised that you quite possibly leaked false information that could get me killed or am I to come to expect it by now?" asked Snape narrowing his obsidian gaze at the elder wizard.

"Both I suppose." replied Dumbledore not at all phased by his own antics regarding the younger wizard's duties as spy for the Order of Phoenix.

"So be it." replied Snape in an emotionless tone.

Having said all he needed to for the moment, The Headmaster took his leave of The Potions Professor.

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 _The Corridors, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

Hermione Granger had managed to get out of another round of watching Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter practice on the Quidditch field. She had been all for the support of her closest friends, but she absolutely loathed the sport and all it's aspects. The young witch had been amazed to find that Professor Snape had been making his way down the same corridor again only this time he reeked of firewhiskey and his eyes were low and reddened.

"P-Professor Snape?" she asked confused as to why he had been so reckless on school grounds.

The harsh expression on the dour man's face was intensified as he noted her presence.

"What do you want?" he hissed rather angrily.

"S-Should you be indulging so much on school grounds at this time of day Sir?" asked Hermione not making it a secret that she knew he had been drinking.

"Shouldn't you be minding your own business." growled the drunken Professor as he leaned against the stone wall after losing his balance in his display of annoyance toward her.

"Sir." said Hermione growing tired of his antics already and the day had not even been over.

"Leave me the fuck alone." growled Snape stepping away from her in a fit of anger only to stumble backwards and fall flat on his back along the cold stone ground.

"L-Let me help you." she urged.

Snape swatted her hand away as soon as she extended it.

"I said get the fuck away from me." he growled once more. "Isn't it enough I have to be married to you in the coming days must you invade my privacy even now!?"

"Being fallen down drunk is not a matter of privacy." said Hermione narrowing her amber eyes at her future husband. "Especially when you are out in the corridors making a fool of yourself for the public."

"What the fuck do you know about being a fool?" he asked bitterly. "There isn't any aspect of this place that hasn't bore witness to my humiliation at some point."

"You need to sleep this off." she said. "I don't understand why you decided the middle of a school day was a good time to get drunk."

"It's not meant for you to understand." hissed Snape harshly. "Did you ever stop to think that perhaps you should simply go on and leave well enough alone?"

"You aren't well enough to be left alone." countered Hermione. "And besides...you and I are officially each other's responsibility...and given the impending wedding it's in my best interest to see that you make it there in one piece."

"Fuck you." hissed Snape crawling toward a part of the wall to lean against in a bid to stand on his own.

"Not until our wedding night dear." she countered with a bit of wit of her own.

Snape rolled his eyes, of all the times for her to get a sense of humor this was by far the worst. Against his wishes, Hermione escorted the angry wizard toward his office in search of a potion to get him sober before his afternoon classes. It seemed she wouldn't have to endure the annoyance of Quidditch this afternoon after all.


	18. Chapter 17:Gryffindor Meddling

_**Chapter 17: Gryffindor Meddling**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...It's been a while for this one...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _Snape's Office, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

 **N** arrowed eyes of the coldest obsidian were fixed on the helpful young witch with the most unruly bushy brown hair and irritating sense of herself that made the cold and meticulous Potions Professor want nothing more than to draw his wand and hex her to oblivion. It only served to sicken him all the more in noting that this brainless Gryffindor chit was supposed to be his wife. He had not even wanted to get married. His experiences in matters that did little but increase his growing aggravation only served to make him even more enraged as he looked upon her.

"Must I have to endure your presence even before the blasted nuptials have taken place?" muttered Snape still annoyed at having to take part in a farce of a wedding.

"Professor, I believe Headmaster Dumbledore made his position on your opinion of our impending marriage very clear, and at the moment I am merely offering assistance due to your less than savory habit of binge drinking." she replied narrowing her eyes at him. "Are you always drunk when you teach such a dangerous class or is this a recent occurrence?"

"Are you always so bloody insufferable or is it a recent occurrence?" asked Snape mocking her in the process.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the Potions Professor. He didn't seem the least bothered by her anger at his words.

"As a matter of fact, I happen to be appreciated a great deal by those who value actual intellect." she replied turning her attention back to looking for the potion to get her soon to be husband back on his feet.

Snape watched the girl struggle to grab the potion from the top shelf of on his office and got to his feet. He quickly grabbed the potion and managed to catch the witch as she slipped from one of her attempts to get it and tumbled into his chest.

"I...thank you for catching me Professor." she said with her cheeks a bit red as she turned her attention back to him.

It was all together stranger to have her body once more pressed against the ebony clad wizard's in such a close stance. Snape said nothing as he uncorked the much needed restorative potion and downed it in front of the rather concerned young witch.

"As you can see, I've taken the potion...your services are no longer required." said Snape in his usual icy tone. "You may get out of my sight now."

Hermione resisted the urge to hex the less than thrilled Potions Professor and turned her attention toward getting back to her house tower before anyone came looking for her and by anyone she meant Harry and Ron, possibly looking to get themselves into trouble with the Potions Professor.

"Have a good rest of the day Professor Snape." she said before taking her leave of him.

Snape resisted the urge to fire off a hex at her and turned his attention to the lessening effects of the hangover he was suffering from. As much as he hated to admit it, the insufferable know it all ha]d the right idea when it came to getting him to take the potion before the full effects of his drinking got the better of him.

Still reeling from the effects of the firewhiskey, Snape was about to make his way back toward the desk when he noticed a lone glass of water sitting on the edge seemingly waiting for him. Rolling his eyes he dared not give the Gryffindor chit the satisfaction of being correct in her assumption about his apparent onset of thirst and conjured a glass via his own magic.

Given the level of dryness his particularly parched throat suffered, it wasn't enough and against his better judgement he downed the water glass the witch had left for him as well. Snape made is way back to his seat just in time to hear a soft rapping against his office door.

It didn't surprise him in the least when one of the younger Slytherins dared to venture into his office for an audience with their Head of House.

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 _The Common Room, Gryffindor Tower, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

Hermione had been aptly worried about the Potions Professor but kept her concerns to herself Professor Snape was still her best chance to survive the marriage law and it only made her more interested in keeping him in one piece as it were. With a sigh, the young witch pushed down thoughts of her impending marriage and entered the Gryffindor common room pleased to see both Harry and Ron had managed to keep themselves out of trouble during her absence.

"Where have you been Mione?" asked Harry with an arched brow.

"Yeah me and Harry looked every where for you." replied Ron munching on an apple he had brought with him from The Great Hall. "We got word you were in the dungeons with Snape."

"I've was asking Professor Snape about a future assignment." replied Hermione evenly.

"Which one?" asked Harry with an arched brow.

"It's hard to recall." replied Hermione thoughtfully. "He wasn't in the mood to speak much let alone give me more information on the upcoming assignment."

"I just hope it's not another pop quiz." whined Ron. "I can barely recall enough for the known quizzes."

"You can barely recall anything aside from wizard's chess and what's on the menu for your consumption." said the amber eyed witch.

"At least wizard's chess is fun." said the red head wizard in defense of himself from Hermione's words. "And who doesn't want to know what's going to be on the menu when it comes time to eat?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and turned her attention toward an empty chair near the fireplace and grabbed a book from the nearby desk to settle into reading. She had a lot on her mind as of her up coming birthday and future marriage and she needed a bit of light reading to take the edge off.

Harry Potter couldn't quite place why he felt it, but he knew there was something strange going on with his best friend. He kept his suspicions to himself and proceeded to do a bit of reading himself, in the form of a comic book. It did little to distract his mind from the fact that Hermione had been acting strange ever since they returned to Hogwarts from 12 Grimmauld Place.


	19. Chapter 18:Saving His Hide

**_Chapter 18: Saving His Hide_**

 ** _{A/N: Here's another update...It's been a while for this one...}_**

 ** _My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S._**

 _The Main Corridor, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

 **A** great burst of wind swept across the darkened corridor of Hogwarts Castle as a badly wounded and nearly unconscious Severus Snape landed in the center of the grounds lacking his usually refined grace and only contributing to the damage his lean pale form sustained as he crashed into the grass and soil tracking some as his beaten and battered body rolled to an unprecedented halt before he was able to grasp for breath feeling every ounce of agony via his broken ribs.

The unceremonious crash had gotten the unwavering attention of a certain young Gryffindor witch as she left the book lined walls of the Hogwarts Library to make her way back toward Gryffindor tower to turn in for the evening. She noted the falling figure cloaked in darkness straight away observing the familiar smoky blackness that surrounded death eater flight before coming to the conclusion that that the flight could only be managed by one so bold enough to reach Hogwarts grounds while Headmaster Dumbledore watched over the school.

"Professor Snape." she said more so to herself than aloud as she raced toward the downed figure caked in blood, soil and tattered fabric from his trademark ebony frock coat and trousers.

Severus Snape had been unconscious since the landing and made no move to get himself to the infirmary. Thinking quickly lest the poor ailing wizard's cover be blown, the amber eyed witch cast a notice me not charm on the two of them and slowly attempted to examine his wounds. She was well verse in minor healing magic, due to her scrapes with Harry and Ron when breaking school rules and taking on monsters only seen in books. It was this knowledge that best served her now as she did her best to stop the Potions Professor's bleeding.

"Just hold on Professor." she urged him softly. "I can get you to Madam Pomfrey and she'll fix you right up."

Upon hearing her voice in close confines, Snape's obsidian orbs opened and he had a most unreadable expression filed across his sallow pale face.

"M-Miss Granger?" he said clearly dazed and utterly confused via the crash.

"Shhhh...it's alright I can take it from here." she said softly. "You just rest...you'll be well taken care of in no time."

Snape attempted to combat her helping hand but due to his weakened condition only managed to let out a low whimper and grazed her cheek with his trembling cold pale fingers. Hermione remained determined to get him to the infirmary, risking a detention from Filch to do so.

From what she could see of him due to the darkness of the night, Voldemort was none to happy with him and decided to voice his displeasure via torture and barely left the ailing wizard alive. She wondered briefly how much worse things would get for him on the other side if the despot found out about what they were plotting in terms of their union to block the other death eaters from having her hand in marriage.

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 _The Infirmary, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

When Hermione entered the infirmary with a levitating Severus Snape, Madam Pomfrey was rather shocked. She was covered in the ailing wizard's blood and had not batted an eyelash in an attempt to shy away from what needed to be done to ensure he survived this most brutal of assaults from the despot.

"My word...Severus." said the old Med-Witch pulling her wand and immediately setting to work.

Snape came to again reaching for the bloodied Hermione as if desperate for any kind of human touch that wouldn't administer pain.

"I'm right here." said Hermione willing herself to be strong for her future husband despite the fear that crept into her. "It'll be alright Sir."

Snape gripped the trembling hand of the witch with his own blood soaked pale hand before passing out once more in the wake of his blood loss.

"It's a good thing you got him here when you did." said Madam Pomfrey grateful for the watchful eyes of the younger witch. "There's no telling what condition he might have been in had you not acted when you had the chance."

"Is he going to be alright?" asked the highly concerned Hermione looking back n forth from the bloodied Potions Professor to the old Med-Witch set to take care of him.

"He is indeed...although he's bound to be a bit grouchy once the healing process begins...he's broken his ribs and from the looks of it his left hand...he'll be unable to brew potions for a few weeks but he can be fit for lighter duty."

Hermione was relieved to know the wizard would fair well following treatment.

"Can...you let me know how he's doing from time to time?" she asked hopeful.

She knew that she wasn't his family, as of yet but she was still quite concerned for him.

"He won't like it...but you did save his hide tonight so it's only fare you are kept in loop as far as his progress goes." replied Madam Pomfrey. "Now run along before Filch get's the inclination to harass you...and take this pass...Professor Snape will be fine in my care...I've patched him up from worse now and then."

"Worse?" asked Hermione looking over at the unconscious bloodied wizard once more.

"He'll be fine girl...now off with you...I have a good bit of work to do yet." muttered Madam Pomfrey shooing Hermione out of the infirmary.

Once she exited the main doors, Hermione found herself given to her increasing fear. The death eaters were clearly a ruthless bunch and the tales of their viciousness didn't do them any justice at least as much as she had known.

The witch made up her mind to know about the haunting organization that her future husband belonged to and the capabilities of such monstrous witches and wizards. She knew that she wanted as little to do with them as possible and found herself eternally grateful to Professor Dumbledore for ensuring that she'd marry Professor Snape instead of one of those blood thirsty cretins.

As she made her way back toward Gryffindor tower, Hermione noted the blood from Snape and quickly glamoured it until she could get to her dormitories and shower before anyone started asking questions. The last thing she needed was to have both Harry and Ron's unwanted attention with it being close to the time she'd have to marry her Potions Professor.


	20. Chapter 19:The Grouch Of The Century

**_**Chapter 19: The Grouch Of The Century**_**

 ** _{A/N: Here's another update...}_**

 ** _My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S._**

 ** _The Infirmary, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._**

 **A** great burst of white light was all Severus Snape recalled seeing when his obsidian orbs came into focus due to Madam Pomfrey's umpteenth test on his reflexes. He had been of the mind that she was burning his already sensitive retinas with her wand light and even went so far as to tell her as much. Snape cringed and pulled away from her as she moved to scoff at his rather "childish" antics.

"Severus will you hold still!" she demanded feeling a bit of her temper as she attempted once more to get an accurate read on him as far as his diagnostics were concerned.

"The day I sit back and willing let you blind me is the day I become an invalid." replied Snape growling as he attempted to get back his line of sight.

"Well, you are damn lucky you didn't perish during your last boneheaded attempt at landing." said Madam Pomfrey.

"Being beaten within an inch of my life and barely making the trip is explanation enough for my terrible landing." he said in defense.

"Like I needed to be reminded of that." replied Madam Pomfrey with a troubled expression filed across her aged face.

Snape noted in her less than playful demeanor that it was far too soon to be making near death jokes.

"No need to get sentimental old woman, I'm still here." he said attempting to shift the focus of the conversation. "So long as your half brained medical ideas don't do me in."

Madam Pomfrey rolled her eyes at him.

"This is the very the reason so many people find you so contemptible." she said annoyed.

"And here I believed it was my sunny deposition." replied Snape with a smirk.

Madam Pomfrey rolled her eyes causing Snape relish her frustration with him.

"I don't recall making the trip to the infirmary this time around, did the old man bring me in or was it the caretaker?" he asked with an arched brow as he attempted to climb up off the bed.

"You lie back down or I shall bind you to that bed, you're tests have not been completed and you've only just regained consciousness...if it wasn't for Miss Granger who knows what student would have stumbled upon your bloodied carcass." replied Madam Pomfrey.

Snape's eyes narrowed at the mention of the student whom had found him.

"Miss Granger?" he growled with an arched brow.

"Indeed." replied Madam Pomfrey. "Consider yourself fortunate that the bright young witch took pity upon you, you poor sod...I'd say she deserves a reward for her efforts."

Snape's annoyance seemed to no know bounds as he envisioned Hermione Granger sharing the details of his weakened condition to all her fellow Gryffindors.

Despite Madam Pomfrey's warning, Snape was out of bed and through the floo before the old Med-Witch could finish her spell to bind him. There was no possible way he was going to allow Hermione Granger to make an utter fool of him, especially not with her soon to be imposing upon what remained of his freedom before their upcoming marriage.

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 _The Great Hall, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

Looking down at her bowl of oatmeal for what seemed to be the tenth time since awakening and sitting down at the Gryffindor Table to eat, Hermione found that she had little to no appetite as she stole yet another glance at the seat reserved for Professor Severus Snape at the staff table.

"Are you feeling okay Mione?" asked the rather observant Harry Potter when his green eyes fell upon her after taking a glance at the staff table as well.

"Yes...I'm fine Harry why do you ask?" replied the amber eyed witch trying her best to appear as normal as she could manage despite her churning emotions.

"Because that's the tenth time you've looked at the staff table since we arrived this morning." replied the green eyed wizard still observing his best friend.

"It's just strange sitting down to breakfast and Professor Snape isn't here to glare at us from the other side of the room." said Hermione covering her true thoughts via a half-truth.

"It is right strange." replied Ron biting into a leg of turkey and swinging it casually as he chewed with his mouth open. "Snape is usually always here...I wonder what happened."

"M-Maybe Professor Dumbledore has him running an errand." said Hermione not wishing to hear her friend's speculations.

"Or he's finally dead and we can all live in peace." replied Harry with something of a satisfied smirk filed across his face.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER!?"said Hermione more startled by her friend's sadistic imagination when it comes to the Potions Professor than ever before. "Professor Snape is..."

"Right here." replied Snape as he made his way past the Gryffindor table.

Everyone froze almost immediately as they looked upon him, an icy chill that always seemed to radiate off the ebony clad Potions Professor. Hermione had initially been delighted to see that the damage done to him had little standing effect but the cold stare behind his obsidian gaze seemed to indicate that he was none too pleased to see her.

"P-Professor Snape..." said Ron dropping his turkey leg as he looked upon the dreaded Potions Professor.

Snape didn't bother to acknowledge anyone else at the table as his attention was on the rather nervous Hermione the entire time.

"Miss Granger...I would like a word with you once you are finished dining in The Great Hall." said Snape with an emotionless tone despite his gaze giving way to a flicker of rage.

Hermione sighed putting down her spoon.

"As you wish Professor." she said dutifully in true Gryffindor fashion.

"She hasn't even finished her meal yet." hissed Harry glaring at Snape.

"I believe I made it very clear that I wished to speak with Miss Granger once she finished her meal...Potter...if it is her choice to forgo it and speak now her rumbling stomach will not be my problem." replied Snape turning his cold gaze upon Harry.

"Harry, I'll return before you now it." replied Hermione.

"I wouldn't bet on it." grumbled Snape.

The green eyed wizard opened his mouth to protest but Hermione's stern glare saw to it that he sat quietly and ate his meal. She then turned to her soon to be husband and followed him out of The Great Hall.

Harry Potter's eyes drifted back toward the staff table where he saw Dumbledore dismiss himself before leaving out of the teacher's entrance. He was of the mind that the Headmaster would give Snape what for when he caught up to them and turned his attention to finishing off his breakfast satisfied that justice would be served.


	21. Chapter 20:Duty And Contempt

**_Chapter 20: Duty And Contempt_**

 ** _{A/N: Here's another update...}_**

 ** _My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S._**

 _Severus Snape's Office, Slytherin Dungeons, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

 **S** everus Snape's obsidian eyes were ablaze with rage as he tried his best to keep from hexing the little chit known as Hermione Jean Granger for her audacity in placing herself in aspects of his life that were of no concern to her. She had been silent during their walk, a small boon despite his fury in her overstepping her bounds. He had already been forced to wed the silly girl and now she believed she had a right to interfere in his personal affairs.

The two of them continued the long trek toward his office in silence. Snape had been none too kind when he slammed the door behind him warding it heavily as his obsidian gaze fell upon the young witch whom had taken it upon herself to rush over and hug him once he had finished.

"Miss Granger...just because I am duty bound to be wed to you it does not give you the right to meddle in my personal affairs." he growled in annoyance.

"You were hurt and bleeding all over the place was I suppose to walk by and let you die?" she asked as he removed her from him.

She didn't understand what had been so bad about her offering him assistance there was no possible way he could have made the trip to the infirmary without it.

"Next time mind your own damn business." hissed Snape narrowing his eyes at the witch before him. "My job is hard enough without your Gryffindor sentiment getting in the way."

"I wasn't aware that common decency was a mere Gryffindor trait Professor." said Hermione narrowing her amber eyes at him in return. "Like it or not, you and I are going to become husband and wife and I'd like to at least maintain a bit of civility between us."

Snape slammed his fists on the desk knocking off a few parchments in his brief fit or rage.

"I fucking loathe you and everything about you." he growled. "I'd rather let the dark lord beat me to death than share a bed with you...a positively clueless girl who knows nothing about life and spends most of her time day dreaming about a world of that doesn't exist for the sake of pretending she's morally superior to those around her."

"Well you're no prize either." replied Hermione feeling her own rage as she glared at her Potions Professor. "A manic depressant git that takes his problems out on everyone in his path...you really are a contemptible git."

"And yet you foolishly petition to be wed to me." said Snape still very much annoyed by the entire ordeal.

"Yes." replied Hermione with a roll of her eyes. "Because as much as you are a git you take your duty seriously and have for as long as I've known you...why wouldn't I want the best man possible to stave off the other death eaters in a bid to keep from being killed?"

Snape sighed.

He knew already that there was no undoing their soon to be nuptials and sooner or later they'd have to progress the parameters of their so called relationship from the mutual understanding in the world of academics to the inevitable aspect of enduring sexual interaction.

"In the future, Miss Granger until I have no choice but to put up with your accused meddling steer clear of my personal affairs." growled Snape in annoyance. "I have enough to deal with, without you drawing unnecessary attention to yourself and myself in general."

Hermione sighed this time understanding at least in some small portion that Snape's reaction to being forced into something he wanted no part in only made his job that much more difficult.

"Fine." she said folding her arms across her chest. "Anything else?"

"Due to your apparent insolence you will be serving a week's detention for your cheek." said Snape leaning back in his chair.

Hermione further resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she reigned in her quite volatile temper. For the first time since the incident in first year, she had to fight to resist urge to set the contemptible wizard's cloak on fire.

"Is that all?" asked Hermione determined not to let the dour wizard get the better of her even in this little exchange.

"You are dismissed." replied Snape apparently satisfied that he had won the round against his most insufferable student.

Hermione turned her attention toward the door when it suddenly burst open and she found herself standing before Headmaster Dumbledore.

"Headmaster?" she said in confusion as the aged wizard's blue eyes fell upon her.

"Quickly Miss Granger, you and Severus must follow me immediately." said the elder wizard.

Snape got to his feet not at all liking the urgency of this apparent matter.

"What is going on?" he asked not truly wanting to know the answer if it involved Hermione Granger.

"There's been a change of plans." said Dumbledore. "More due a gross miscalculation on my part."

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione with an arched brow as she and Snape both followed Dumbledore from his office and into the corridor.

"I'm afraid that special project that requires both of your attention has been advanced." replied The Headmaster clearly speaking in code due to being in the Slytherin dungeons.

Snape understood almost immediately and rolled his eyes.

The day he was dreading was finally upon them and he had not any time to take it in.

"What does that mean?" asked Hermione still a bit slow on the uptake.

"It means Miss Granger, that we are now confined to each other's orbit." replied Snape in annoyance.

"What?" she asked in disbelief after catching on. "How is this possible?"

She hardly had time to process it either.

"As I've said." replied Dumbledore. "There was a gross miscalculation on my part and if we are to ensure no one else discovers this the project must proceed as soon as possible."

Snape's eyes widened as did Hermione's.

They were to be wed sooner than either of them would have liked and it appeared it couldn't be helped.

Dumbledore lead the two of them toward the corridor where the room of requirement had been last located. Hermione Granger's stomach had been a bundle of nerves as she and Snape both were hot on the aged Headmaster's heels.

"I believe we were advised to wait until she was of age." said Snape in protest despite it being a feeble one.

"Unfortunately for you Severus, that time has come sooner than either one of us expected." replied Dumbledore. "Now we have not a moment to lose into the room both of you."

Snape's obsidian eyes flickered with further annoyance as he had been forced to come to terms with the fact that he was to be wed to the insufferable know it all and it had been sooner than he anticipated.

Hermione noted his annoyance and sighed.

This was the wizard she would be bound to by wizarding law and he knew nothing but the feeling of contempt for her. Gathering her courage as any good Gryffindor worth their salt would do, she stepped into the room of requirement as Dumbledore had instructed trusting his judgement in this situation.

Snape rolled his eyes and followed behind her not at all pleased with this new development.


	22. Chapter 21:The Binding Of Matrimony

**_Chapter 21: The Binding Of Matrimony_**

 ** _{A/N: Here's another update...}_**

 ** _My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S._**

 _The Ministry Of Magic Offices, Wizarding World..._

 **H** ermione Granger could not believe her eyes once she stepped into the room of requirement and found that she had been transported to the Ministry Of Magic offices. It had appeared that she had not been alone in her evident shock as Snape couldn't seem to believe it either. He turned his attention to Dumbledore not in the least thrilled about being in the corridors leading to the section dealing with wizarding world marriages.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked not in the least worried about his rather aggressive tone.

Dumbledore gave them both his undivided attention.

"In my haste to ensure that Miss Granger did not come to harm under the new marriage law decree, I had forgotten that she was already of age due to the use of a time-turner device during her third year at Hogwarts." explained the elder wizard. "Such a stipulation brought to the attention of the dark lord and all those attempting to gain access to Miss Granger's hand in marriage..."

"Would no doubt spell her certain doom." finished Snape fully understanding the ramifications of what could have happened to the witch if news of her true age were made public.

Hermione had been grateful that both Snape and Dumbledore had come to her aid when they did, there was no telling what might have happened if they had been caught off guard by the Ministry of Magic announcing her engagement to one of Voldemort's less than savory death eaters instead of her Potions Professor.

"So we really are here to be wed." she said finding her voice after being rendered silent from the shock of actually being in the Ministry Of Magic offices.

"Indeed." replied Dumbledore. "It is imperative that this be done as quickly as possible and that the marriage is consummated before news of it is leaked from the inside."

Snape knew all too well what would occur once that leak happened. The shape he had awoken to find himself in that morning was nothing compared to what would be in store for him once the news broke of his unsanctioned marriage to a muggle-born witch right underneath the none existent nose of his dark master.

Dumbledore gave the younger wizard a knowing look before continuing to lead them to the room in which the ceremony would be taking place.

Hermione looked back at Snape feeling more than just a bundle of nerves as she too caught the meaning in the aged Headmaster's expression. Once they were wed and the marriage consummated, Snape would have to bare the consequences of this act and there would be nothing anyone could do about it.

Feeling a bit regretful in her approach to preserve her own life Hermione seemed to hesitate a moment or two before following Dumbledore into the room. Snape swiftly stepped inside as well not having said a word since the news of Hermione's advanced aging presenting them with a rapidly perplexing issue.

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 _Ceremony Room 213, Ministry Of Magic Offices, Wizarding World..._

Once inside the room where the ceremony was to be taken place, Hermione noted the appearance of at least two members of the Order of Phoenix serving as witnesses to the exchange. One had been Arthur Weasley, father of Ron and the rest of the rambunctious Weasley clan and the other had been Remus John Lupin former DADA Professor and an equally former tormentor of Severus Snape when they were children.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." said Snape taking one look at Lupin whom appeared to be brought in to stand as witness and unofficial "best man" for the ceremony.

"It was either Remus or the ceremony would have had to take place elsewhere." replied Dumbledore knowing full well the wizard would get his meaning. "Your other choice in witnesses is barred from the proceedings for obvious reasons."

"This day just keeps getting better and better." grumbled Snape not at all liking that his options had been the two wizards he dreaded having any sort of contact with work related or otherwise.

Hermione had been happy to see at least two familiar faces on her what was to be her wedding day. She raced toward Lupin and hugged him as well as Arthur Weasley whom had always been kind to her.

"It good to see you Mr. Weasley." said the amber eyed witch. "And you to Professor Lupin...it's good to have some friends here for my wedding day."

"I am a Professor no longer Hermione." replied Lupin with a smile. "You may call me Remus."

"It's good to see you as well Miss Granger." said Arthur returning her smile and kind greeting. "Although I cannot say Severus feels the same about all this."

"I'd wager he is on the verge of contemplating which hex he wants to dish out first." said Lupin with something of a saddened expression. "One can hardly blame him...given our history...but I was hoping that he'd have gotten past all that...at least for now due to the bigger threat in the form of a certain despot trying to eradicate life as we know it."

"I don't think he'd be hexing you any time soon if Dumbledore has anything to say about it." replied Hermione.

Snape remained silent despite his eyes reflecting little more than rage due to his current situation.

"We are here Percy." said Dumbledore turning his attention to the current Ministry Official. "You may proceed with the ceremony."

Percy Weasley had been in a state of absolute shock as he noted the couple standing before him to be wed. Never in all his short number of years had he imagined he'd be officiating a wedding for his former Potions Professor and never had he imagined it would be to Hermione Granger, the unofficial Princess of Gryffindor House."

"I...as you wish." said Percy stammering as he noted Snape's hostile glare. "Will the soon to be joined couple step forward."

Snape folded his arms across his ebony clad chest and Hermione rolled her eyes before stepping forward as Percy instructed. Dumbledore shot Snape a death glare and he did the same. It was clear he had anticipated the fact that the younger wizard intended to be difficult despite saying very little.

The Potions Master had blocked out most of the bumbling Gryffindor's speech and only bothered to pay attention when he got to what appeared to be the part where he mentioned their names in full.

"Do you Severus Sebastian Snape, take Hermione Jean Granger to be your lawfully wedded wife?" asked Percy he thought about going on with the mantra of the ceremony but Snape's impatient glare bid that he keep it short and sweet.

Snape glared at the amber eyed witch before him dreading the words that would come and the implication they had in store for him. Dumbledore's hostile glare seemed to be burning holes in his back as he found himself saying the words none the less.

"I do." he replied in his usual gruff tone.

"And Do you Hermione Jean Granger..." began Percy only to tremble once more at the glare Snape had given him indicating his impatience once more.

"I do." replied Hermione repeating after Snape.

"You many now kiss the bride." said Percy still trembling as he continued the ceremony.

Snape rolled his eyes everyone's eyes fell upon him. He pulled the nervous looking witch into his embrace and sealed their wedding vows with a kiss not so unlike the one from the night he'd taken her on a walk only to be encountered by the death eater Xerius.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife." said the still trembling Percy Weasley.

Snape pulled away from Hermione whom had once more been preoccupied with her surge of emotions in the wake of the kiss.

Dumbledore sighed having got the first part of their ordeal out of the way but it had been far from over. He pulled the newly wedded groom to the side and gave him further instruction.

"Take her to Spinner's End." he said making it clear that his instructions were to be met immediately. "Consummate your marriage before the dark lord gets wind of this."

"You speak as if bedding a mere child is an easy task." growled Snape in annoyance.

"You are not allowed to use anything that would conflict with the binding." said Dumbledore making it clear that his words held the utmost importance.

"How am I suppose to...?" began Snape making it clear how dire the situation had become knowing that he had to consummate his marriage to his student without magical aid."

"You are an intelligent wizard Severus, I'm sure you'll think of something." replied Dumbledore. "But the consummation must be done immediately there is no telling how long you'll have before he summons you again and from there we cannot be sure you'd even survive it but Miss Granger must be protected at all costs...do not fail me Severus...but do not bring any more trauma to the girl than is needed."

Snape sighed already dreading the onset of the task before him. It seemed his day was only going to get worse.

"As you wish, Headmaster." he replied as dutifully as he always had.

Dumbledore turned his attention to Hermione.

"Good luck to you Miss Granger, enjoy your wedding night." he said pleasantly.

"Thank you Headmaster." replied Hermione with a smile.

Snape had not been able to resist rolling his eyes as he took the rather startled witch by the hand and lead her toward the exit without so much as a word to Arthur or Lupin. His mind had been on completing the task of consummating his marriage to Hermione Granger and he would if it had been the last aspect of his miserable existence.


	23. Chapter 22:The Unseemly Difficult Natur

**_Chapter 22: The Unseemly Difficult Nature Of Non-Courtship_**

 ** _{A/N: Here's another update...}_**

 ** _My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S._**

 _Spinner's End, Cokeworth England, Muggle World..._

 **T** he stench of rancid air along with the eye sore that had been row after row of dilapidated brick houses had been the first thing Hermione Granger now Hermione Snape noticed as she was pulled rather unceremoniously through the closed in houses toward the last one located on the left side of the final row of ordinary muggle houses via her new husband still grasping her hand tightly. She didn't doubt that her appearance to onlookers had been more of a reluctant to be punished child rather than a young woman whom had just been wed and to an eternal git it seemed.

"I can walk just fine by myself thank you very much." said Hermione pulling away from Snape as they reached his childhood home in the impoverished muggle community of Spinner's End.

Snape rolled his eyes and set to work opening the door. He dreaded coming back to this place ever bit as much as he dreaded having to bed the mouthy little chit in it but following the illustrious Dumbledore's orders were his priory.

Once the door opened, Snape used his wand to reverse the rancid stench and do away with the possible dust and cobwebs that had collected since he had been last in the confines of the old walls of his childhood home. The memories remained of an unstable family life but the tormentor and his mother had been long gone, both before his initial first year as a fully teaching Professor at Hogwarts Castle.

"Come on." he said stepping inside the door to his former family home.

Hermione continued to stand outside with her arms folded across her chest.

"Did you not hear me?" growled Snape in annoyance.

"I heard you just fine." replied Hermione in defiance. "I will not be bullied on my wedding day not even by my git husband."

"You cannot be serious." said the Potions Master looking as if he was only seconds away from hexing the defiant Gryffindor witch.

"No...I'm Hermione and it's time you addressed me as such." she replied. "It's bad enough I have to put up with your snide comments and childish temper not to mention having to wear jeans and sweat shirt on the day of my wedding but despite what you might believe this is a real wedding day to me and the least you could do behave like a proper groom and carry me over the threshold."

"We have only so little time before the dark lord learns of my ill-conceived act of betrayal before he summons me to my possible death and you want to me to carry you into the house so you can live out some romanticized fantasy!?" growled the Potions Master enraged.

"Yes." replied Hermione not in the least bit intimidated by his tone. "It's the least you could do it's still my wedding day and I want some form of tradition to be preserved."

Snape's obsidian eyes flickered with absolute rage before he suppressed it entirely and stepped back outside of the house.

"As you wish Mrs. Snape." he said in a rather cool tone. "As you've said it's your wedding day and it is the least I could do."

Hermione had been surprised that he agreed to it so easily but thought little of it as he proceeded to pick her up and carry her across the threshold as a proper bride should be carried and entered the front door.

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 _The Front Room, The Snape Residence, Spinner's End, Cokeworth, England, Muggle World..._

Snape carried Hermione as far as the sitting room before hastily dumping her onto the nauseating green threadbare sofa and made his way to the make-shift bar as she unceremoniously plummeted to the hard wood floor after bouncing on the cushions in the wake of his dropping her.

"YOU GIT!" shouted Hermione feeling every bit of the soon to be bruising of her backside after she hit the floor. "That's now how one treats a bride on her wedding day."

"I beg to differ." replied Snape pointedly ignoring her outrage and proceeding to pour himself a glass of firewhiskey and downing it in one go before pouring himself another. "If you have any further complaints I suggest you take them up with someone who gives a damn."

Hermione got up off the floor rubbing the painful spot on her backside as she narrowed her amber eyes at her rather barbaric husband.

"You are an irredeemable arsehole." she said glaring at him as he continued to sip his drink as if he had not a care in the world.

"So kind of you to notice." replied Snape not in the least threatened by her rage.

He finished off his drink and slammed down the glass before venturing toward the angry young witch.

"There's no way I'm letting you touch me after what you did." said Hermione backing away.

Snape smirked in what seemed like a momentary notion of amusement.

"Sadly dear little wife of mine, like I since this entire ordeal was thrust upon me...you have no choice in this matter." he said before scooping her into his arms as she attempted to run and throwing her over his shoulder before heading up the narrow stairs leading to the second floor of the surprisingly two story muggle house.

"Put me down!" shouted Hermione kicking and beating against his back with her fists as he continued to walk as if her antics had not bothered him in the least.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

 _Snape's Bedroom, The Snape Residence, Spinner's End, Cokeworth, England, Muggle World..._

Spying his less than accommodating teenage bed, Severus Snape unceremoniously dropped his new bride down amid the dust covered sheets still draw from his unscheduled pit stop in a bid to recover from a long standing assignment. He used his wand to make it at least presentable before he dropped her, as crude as he was he had no interest in wallowing in filth no matter anyone else's opinion.

"Arsehole." said Hermione finding herself flopping onto the old mattress as she scrambled to sit up.

Snape continued to ignore her insults seeming as if he had been truly contemplating what to do beyond this point. His hesitation made it clear to Hermione that he had no intention of taking her by force but it still presented quite a problem for how either one of them was going to muster their mutual loathing of each other in a bid to get things underway.

The Potions Master sat at the edge of the bed unable to look at the young witch whom he had been forced to take as a bride.

"I...I don't know how to proceed." he admitted aloud. "I am not of the mind to bring you harm...Miss Granger despite what you may believe this isn't easy for me either."

Hermione couldn't take her eyes off the wizard sitting at the foot of the bed. She had almost forgotten that he had been celibate for a number of years and this would mean the end of that celibacy in favor of saving her from being defiled and eventually murdered by Death Eaters under Voldemort's instruction.

It seemed all of the games and intimidation tactics had come to an end and they both truly had to face the reality of their current situation as intellectuals in their own right they knew what must be done and the reason behind it but not how to accomplish such a means when neither had sexual feelings for the other, being given to lust isn't how they worked and this rapid means of forced consummation had not made their ordeal any easier.

Once her anger subsided, Hermione placed a trembling hand on Severus Snape's shoulder.

"We can do this." she said softly. "If this is to be your last day as everyone fears...I would be honored to share it with you sir."

"Your unseemly admiration for me is misplaced Miss Gran...Hermione." replied Snape. "But you are right at least in part...if this is to be my last few moments alive...it would be decent to feel something other than dread or pain."

Hermione wrapped her arms around the wizard, pressing her pink sweatshirt clad chest into his back right along with her youthful breasts.

Taking the lead she began trailing kisses along his neck as she aimed to show her appreciation for what this brave wizard had done for her even if this had been the last time she'd see him.

Snape closed his eyes taking in the simple soft pecking she had resigned her self to giving him as some of the pressure of having to take her innocence subsided. She seemed to be of the mind to ensure he know that he wasn't stealing what she was freely giving away to him no less.


	24. Chapter 23:A Lesson In Carnal Endeavors

**_Chapter 23: A Lesson In Carnal Endeavors_**

 ** _{A/N: Here's another update...I'll be honest this was an extremely difficult chapter to work on...}_**

 ** _My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S._**

 _Snape's Bedroom, The Snape Residence, Spinner's End, Cokeworth England, Muggle World..._

 **A** short gasped escaped the lips of Hermione Jean Granger-Snape as she found herself being dropped back onto the mattress of her Potions Professor turned husband, Severus Snape's bed. He seemed to have grown more desperate in a bid to ensure his mission to secure her as his wife had been met before the mounting uncertainty of his future had resolved. His dark obsidian eyes seemed to be focused on the young witch entirely as he suddenly began unbuttoning his trademark frock coat.

Unable to help herself, the momentarily startled witch could do little but watch in rapt fascination as his seemingly graceful large pale hands moved with the same notion of speed and accuracy as they had when he was demonstrating a lesson in potions class. There was always a certain aspect of precision and focus that accompanied any action Severus Snape had taken and it appeared he was more than prepared to showcase such talents when it came to other means of completing a task.

Snape threw his coat into a nearby chair and began working on his long sleeve white button down short, it surprised Hermione to note that he wore anything other than black ever since she had known him it seemed a fitting color for him.

"As it stands Miss Granger, we must proceed if this marriage is to be validated and I will not suffer at the hands of the dark lord without just cause." he said breaking the silence that had fallen between them ever since his admission to not knowing how best to proceed with her. "I have found a new way to approach this since you are so fond of academic reassurance...I am going to engage you in a bid to teach you a lesson in carnal knowledge if you perform the task at hand with minimal fuss I shall assign you extra credit for the upcoming test in potions class."

Hermione could hardly believe what she was hearing. Severus Snape was willing to actually give her a decent grade in potions if she allowed him to consummate their marriage with little fuss...it was strange to note the aspect in which he had been attempting to gain access to her physical body in a bid to preserve it. It seemed as if the dour man literally saw no difference in this matter between her being taught in a classroom and sharing a life experience.

"I believe the only way we are going to get through this rather unfortunate event is via direct stimulation...I have no time to prepare you properly as I never know when I am to be summoned and this must be done before hand." Snape further explained. "I shall do my best to make this as quick and painless as possible...but do remember Miss Granger, you chose me specifically for this and as such you will have no choice but to suffer the consequences as much as I have to."

The Potions Professor surprised her when he suddenly took off his belt casting it in the chair right along with his frock coat. He kicked off his black dragon-hide boots and climbed into bed with her.

She had not understood his rather clinical approach to such a life alternating event in the least, when they spoke before he told her not to have any romantic notions about him and that he was simply doing as Dumbledore asked of him. It stung a bit for Snape to out right declare his contempt for her and she supposed it lead to a sort of petulant defiance on her part, but she wasn't in the least entirely thinking of herself in this exchange.

While Dumbledore may have been the driving force behind her decision to choose Severus Snape as her husband, there was also the unstated fact that she trusted this wizard above all others with her life. He had proven himself an ally and reliable man over the course of her school terms when he was merely her Professor and even going out of his way to ensure the safety of her best friend without so much as a word of thanks. Wither he liked it or not, she had admired him for his brilliance and apparent diligence when it came to doing what others would deem impossible.

She didn't believe a narcissistic tyrant like Voldemort would throw away such a valuable asset when the war had barely begun, and she liked to believe that there was no way Dumbledore would sit back and allow his valued employee to parish without at least attempting to assist him beforehand.

 _No._

Hermione did not believe Snape would be killed for their union coming to light, but she knew all too well that he would be punished rather harshly for it and unbeknownst to Snape she was on the verge of tears just thinking about what would become of him.

The Potions Professor moved slowly, like an enormous cat stretching after a long nap in the shade following a hunt. His dark gaze on her body as she drew in a series of quick breaths in anticipation for what was to become of their time together. She let out another gasp when she felt his hands, rough and calloused from years of potions work and Merlin knew what else due to his secondary position as spy for The Order Of Phoenix.

She felt the warmth of his lean pale body as he fitted himself between her trembling thighs and on instinct she felt her hands move along his half bare chest. He'd been pale beneath the soft cotton shirt and warmer than she would have ever expected. His weight although intimidating at first became comforting as it had been the night he kissed her in a bid to keep her safe from another prowling death eater in search of his next victim. His scent had been familiar, much like the potions classroom in the dungeons, herbs and fresh earth with a hint of maleness and the unmistakable fragrance of firewhiskey.

Snape said nothing as his dark gaze continued to beam down upon the young witch as her mind traveled back to her body's sensation following that kiss. In one swift motion he pressed his body into hers letting her feel him in a series of slow thrusts forward despite his cock being tucked well within his trousers.

A low hiss escaped his normally harsh pale lips in the wake of the sensation, it seemed he had not needed much in the way of stimulation as he immediately began to feel the familiar sensation of an erection coming on. As the blooding into his appendage continued to get the better of him, the now aroused Potions Professor processed to thrust harder against the young witch in his bed.

"Oh..." moaned Hermione feeling something stirring in her own body by means of arousal.

Snape's breathing increased as did his pace for a time before he willed himself to pull back and began undoing his trousers. Hermione gasped when she felt him waver his hand discarding her jeans via magic and leaving her thighs exposed to the cool air that circulated in her Professor's childhood bedroom.

With her stomach in knots and her breathing more ragged than if she had run a muggle marathon, Hermione found herself following the lead of her Potions Professor as she fumbled in ignorance when it came to aspects of a physical nature.

"I am going to do something...it's merely a precaution to ensure you aren't to be harmed more than necessary in this exchange...although I warn you...it's been quite some time since I've bedded a virgin." said Snape as he moved rather quickly from between her thighs much to Hermione's surprising notion of disappointment.

It did not last however as she found herself more shocked and slightly embarrassed when Severus Snape once more used his magic to do away with her knickers entirely and spread her legs before delving between them as he began licking and probing her virgin sex.

The gasp that escaped the young witch's lips made him smirk as he continued his task at oral stimulation. With her body tense and her hands grasping at the sheets on the mattress, Hermione Granger-Snape could do little to combat the onset of her Potions Professor's apparently talented and abrasive tongue.

For his part, Snape had been pleasantly surprised that he was enjoying at least this aspect of their act. Of course it had more to do with catching the young witch off guard and sending her already keen and know it all mind into pleasurable overdrive to the point that she could only spout nonsense or make pleasured sounds.

"Oh...oh...oh...st...oh..." moaned Hermione as she attempted to get control of her own body despite it being driven mad by Snape's tongue.

Knowing just how to proceed, Snape continued to send Hermione into a pleasurable frenzy. He didn't let up until he felt her back arch and her muscles tighten as she could do little aside from struggle to breathe before he pulled back still prying her legs apart and with a rather powerful thrust entered her nearly convulsing body and shredding any further evidence of her former maidenhood.

The onset had Snape himself gasping as he grunted from the sensation of her inner muscles tightening around his lengthy appendage. He had not given her all of him, not even he was that sadistic there would have been no way for her to endure it at this time. It had been just enough...more than he ever would have allowed had this marriage not been forced upon them both.

Keeping his focus proved to be quite a difficult task as Hermione began to cling to him a single tear streaming down her cheek in the wake of the overwhelming sensations of both pleasure and pain. No matter what happened moving forward, she would always associate this strange moment with Severus Snape.

The Potions Professor gripped the mattress as his lean pale form towered above her. The sensation of warmth from being inside the young witch threatened to over take him but he knew he needed to last just long enough to activate the binding ritual and make their marriage valid in the eyes of the Wizarding World.

Looking down at her, her body glistened with sweat and the image of her chest rising and falling beneath the pink sweat shirt she had chosen to wear that day seemed to forever ingrain itself into his mind as well.

The moment she bit her bottom lip in reaction to his long slow thrusts had been etched there as well. He would not speak of it to anyone but filed it away quietly as one of his favorite memories of the witch whom had given him so much grief ever since her first arrival to Hogwarts Castle.

Closing his eyes, Snape continued to thrust into the amber eyed girl. It had been quite some time since he had felt the intense and subtle pleasure of bedding a woman and it seemed due to this he wasn't fit to last very long.

On instinct, his thrusts increased and he began to lose himself in the sensation of her warm depths engulfing his erection. If his was the final sensation he'd experience before his inevitable torment he was now more than willing to enjoy it.

Hermione couldn't take her eyes off his and wished like mad for him to open them. It felt as if she needed to see him, needed to know if he was feeling what she was feeling. In a matter of moments she got her wish as Snape's obsidian gaze fixed upon her and she felt an nearly indescribable sensation before a rapid rush of warmth began to fill her and then she lost all perception and it became difficult to breathe.

Snape's body grew tense and his back arched in reaction to the first sensation of release he had gotten in years. In the witch's mind their coupling had lasted as long as it needed to but due to his recollection of his prior conquests, he was only able to hold back for a good five minutes with extreme focus.

Once his seed flooded the no doubt fertile womb of the young witch, Snape noted the sensation of a binding spell that glowed in silver bursts around them before immediately disbursing and fading away. It seemed the deed had been done in more ways than one and it was official. The marriage was now legally binding and soon The Dark Lord would be alerted to it's existence.

Having done what was needed, Snape willed his weakened body to move and disengaged from the panting Hermione as he stood glistening via sweat and winded from his efforts. He pulled out his trousers not wishing to expose himself to the girl if there had been no need. As swiftly as he unbuttoned his shirt, he re-buttoned it before venturing out of the room and down the stairs leaving his new wife to her own thoughts following their surprisingly pleasure filled coupling despite the initial awkward fumbling in the beginning.

On thing was for sure, The Potions Master knew this little "lesson" would not be forgotten by either of them for quite some time.


	25. Chapter 24:Shadows Of Relevance

**_Chapter 24: Shadows Of Relevance_**

 ** _{A/N: Here's another update...as I stated before I don't much care for the previous chapter and it might be rewritten I had been called in for a shift today and didn't know the exact timing so the chapter was a bit rushed following the call, baring that in mind here's the next one...}_**

 ** _My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S._**

 _The Sitting Room, The Snape Residence, Spinner's End, Cokeworth England, Muggle World..._

 **S** wirling golden brown liquid seemed the ideal choice for a drink right along with the fiery kick once it had all gone down. Snape's obsidian eyes continued to flicker as he noted the contents of his glass before drinking it down and awaiting the after-burn. It was a bottle of Ogren's Finest indeed as he poured himself another round. It wouldn't be long before he would be summoned and he figured he owed it to himself to celebrate another job well done. Try as he might to keep his involvement with Hermione Granger as clinical as possible in him mind, he couldn't help but recall their act with fascination.

His new found libido stirred and he once more felt himself growing erect within the confines of his dark trousers. Taking a sip from his newly filled glass, he willed himself to steer clear of indulging for the sake of doing so. The wizard smirked when he recalled how she gasped when he spread her slender legs and showed her the side of oral pleasure beyond her wildest imaginings.

For once the insufferable know it all could say nothing, as she knew nothing and from her apparent reaction to his efforts being that she was reduced to flopping about on the mattress in the manner of a boneless fish, she was out of her element entirely.

It amused the Potions Professor to no end given all her cheek and refusal to allow anyone else a moment to showcase their intellect in any class she was finally put in her place for however long that had been.

Still, she had been a decent lay if he were to admit it even for one so inexperienced as she had been. She seemed utterly willing to allow him to take the lead and trusted him to do what needed to be done despite their previous clashing. Much better than he had anticipated when he was forced to take her under such strenuous circumstances.

He finished off his drink barely setting the glass back onto the make-shift bar when he felt it, the onset of a vast burning sensation that radiated from his left forearm and seemed to reach every part of him. His knees threatened to buckle then as he gripped the bar and attempted to get his footing.

The burning intensified and the dark mark glowed red symbolizing the fury of this serpentine master once the news of his marriage ans subsequent coupling with Hermione Granger reached his ear.

Unbeknownst to the wizard, his better and decidedly younger half had gotten out of bed none too fond of the ache nor the mess he had left between her thighs wrapped in his bed sheet and fearful of what was to become of him.

"Professor?" she said in confusion forgetting about their act in the wake of her respectful concern for the man whom had done so much for her.

"He's summoned me." replied Snape attempting to stand.

Hermione rushed over toward him attempting to help him steady himself. She had no idea that this was only the beginning of her husband having to endure the despot's unseemly wrath.

"Hogwarts..." said Snape struggling with the pain "Get yourself back to Hogwarts..."

"What about you?" asked Hermione in confusion.

"DO AS I SAY!" shouted Snape in apparent desperation as she had never heard the man raise his voice in all the years she'd known him. "You can apparate...as my wife you can use my means of returning to the school despite your registered age."

"But..." began Hermione with tears streaming down her cheeks.

She had not known what to say about the wizard whom had both made her feel lower than soil in the wake of his verbal jabs and immensely satisfied following their recent entanglement beneath the sheets of his childhood bed.

Snape smirked as he looked upon her, his first and only wife despite his being of age to marry long before she reached the halls of Hogwarts.

"I never noticed before...just how beautiful you've become." he said as if it had been more to himself, but she had heard him none the less.

He touched her face with his rough calloused hand right hand and leaned in almost as if he were attempting to kiss her once more before pulling away from her all together and heading out the front door to answer the summons that could very well mean the end of his life in the wake of a cruel tyrant's wrath.

Hermione had not known what to think much less what to feel about the wizard in that moment. He had gone out of his way to secure her from the clutches of his fellow death eaters and all too soon the despot was of the mind to exact punishment. She reached for him unsure of herself even as her hands moved to grip his arm just as he slipped past her and out into the rancid afternoon air. It was evident that she was in the middle of a onset of emotional upheaval and there was little she could do to put a stop to it.

All of her intellect had no answer for this feeling without a name that seemed to over take her and but she recognized it's aspect in the wake of the feeling of sadness that overtook her the moment he had been gone.

The momentarily stunned witch was caught off guard by the fact that her Potions Professor had called her beautiful, in his brief moment of weakness and if that had not been enough to cause her to take leave of her senses he had or at least she figured that he was going to kiss her on his own accord but he pulled away at the last second and rushed to meet his fate.

His final words being that of an order forced her to move from the spot he had left her in, standing in the center of his family sitting room and stark naked beneath the sheet she took from the bed where he spent most of his youth and the earlier part of his adulthood.

It had occurred to the young amber eyed witch that she truly knew nothing of him at all despite now carrying his name having shared his bed. He wasn't just a mystery to her he was a mystery to anyone whom claimed to know him. The aspect of his rather closed off nature had never been an issue before, but with him possibly headed out to his death, there would be no one whom could ever truly say they knew him not even his own wife.


	26. Chapter 25:The Right Of Privilege

**_Chapter 25: The Right Of Privilege_**

 ** _{A/N: Here's another update...}_**

 ** _My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S._**

 _The Throne Room, Death Eater Headquarters, Fortress Of Solitude, Unknown World..._

 **U** pon his arrival, Severus Snape knew all too well that the dark lord had fully intended to unleash his wrath upon him. None the less he walked with a refined quiet dignity through the rows of his fellow wizards of considerable power behind the likes of ivory and silver masks. His enemies within the ranks had not even bothered to boast of his incoming torment as even they feared where the despot's wrath would go. The silent wizard dutifully made his way toward the throne and fell upon his knees before the glowing red eyed tyrant who's rage was quite palpable due to the thick waves of tension in the air.

"I am at your command my lord." said Snape not bothering to meet the despot's angry glare for he knew all too well it would be seen as an act of defiance.

"You disappoint me S-S-S-Severus-s-s-s." hissed the serpentine wizard sitting on the make-shift throne, the apparent seat of his imaginary power and leadership. "I had plans for Potter's _Mudblood_ and you interfered in them by taking her to bed before either of your more deserving brother's could have the chance to strike a decisive blow to the already taxed mind of the boy Harry Potter."

"I knew nothing of your plans." replied Snape lying with a good deal of ease.

"LIAR!" shouted one of the other death eaters from the row.

Snape recognized the voice as belonging to Rabastan LeStrange.

It seemed that Hermione Granger's virtue and very life had been promised to him once she came under the ruling of the marriage decree.

"I knew not your plans for the contemptible girl my lord, I had already planned to take her to sate my need for vengeance against Potter and her entirely." replied Snape still on his knees before the despot he called master. "In fact one of my brothers witnessed an exchange between us long before this day."

"Look at me...S-S-Severus-s-s." hissed Voldemort fully intending to force his way into the younger wizard's mind. "You stink of your little mudblood whore...at the very least you did not try to hide your folly."

Snape stood up knowing all too well that the despot wanted to witness his lesser being crushed by the weight of his own mental capabilities. Despite his current situation, The Potions Professor found it amusing that the despot was revolted by the scent of the witch whom he had pleased both orally and physically before being summoned. The dark lord's peering into Severus Snape's mind had been something rather barbaric and text book Voldemort to be sure and the dour wizard intended to deliver a story worthy of his unseemly master's inquisition despite the absurdity of it all.

With all of the subtle of a marching band in play, Voldemort thought himself powerful enough to shatter Snape's mind as he sifted through each and every memory pertaining to the fateful afternoon in which Xerius had taken it upon himself to interrupt a walk between the wizard and Hermione Granger.

Images of Snape alone with the witch in an intimate setting for months on end complete with study sessions, and after school Q&A had been before the very eyes of the despot. He could see that Snape truly had designs upon the Granger girl long before the marriage law had been decreed and used his position as her Potions Professor to get close to her in a bid to make her palpable to his manipulations.

For a moment he had been quite proud of the way Snape handled himself in bringing the girl to her knees and even noted the scene where she had in fact debased herself for the sake of earning his favor. These memories had been false of course, but a wizard as clever and adept in his own abilities as Severus Snape knew all too well that all believable lies had to be formed with a version of the truth especially where the dark lord had been concerned.

Once he had been satisfied with what he wished to see the despot pulled out of Snape's mind as forcefully as he had entered causing the younger wizard to collapse onto the cold stone floor beneath him.

"It appears-s-s that you did in deed have designs-s-s upon Harry Potter's mudblood." he hissed with a wide eyed expression. "But you have failed to seek my approval before pursuing her to begin with and for that gross error in judgement, you shall be punished."

Snape had no doubt that he was to be punished and braced himself despite his look of expressed shock when Lucius Malfoy stepped from the crowd and proceeded to magically strip him down to his trousers.

With a wave of his hand, the dark lord strung the raven haired wizard up by his wrists via tightening magical binds that glowed as red as his eyes for all of the others to see. Not even Rabastian LeStrange found amusement nor satisfaction in watching Snape be prepared for punishment.

"Lucius." instructed Voldemort in a rather harsh tone. "S-s-see to it that S-S-Severus-s-s never forgets his place again."

Lucius Malfoy nodded as he flicked his wrists producing a magical whip before the eyes of the despot and the other death eaters.

"In the future, S-S-Severus-s-s one must earn the right of privilege." hissed the despot. "And those who have not earned said right, shall suffer the consequences of their actions...I truly hope you've enjoyed bedding your little mudblood whore."

Snape didn't bother bracing himself, he knew it was coming despite Lucius's heartbroken expression. The sharp sensation of the magical whip cracking against his bare pale flesh echoed through out the silent throne room.

There was no telling how long it would be before the wizard got to return to Hogwarts or if he could.

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 _The Grounds, Hogwarts Castle, Scotland, Wizarding World..._

The moment her feet touched down upon the familiar green grass that lined the grounds, Hermione knew that she had returned to Hogwarts Castle. Her heart was racing and her body ached all over, between her thighs more so than the rest of her body but she had made the return. It was an altogether surreal experience to venture back to the familiar school and know all too well that everything had been vastly different since the hours prior to her marriage to her Potions Professor.

 _He had been right of course._

She was indeed a mere girl when she left the hallowed halls following breakfast that morning and now she had ventured into along the mysterious path of womanhood. It had been his doing and he saw it coming long before she did, never really processing what she had asked of him and what it would mean for the two of them once it had been done.

As she neared the castle, tears began to stream down her cheeks as she recalled the few brief moments she had shared with the wizard whom had become her husband and the overwhelming sense of fear that there would never again be any moments to spend with him. There was nothing particularly romantic about their current situation and she understood it now more than ever. Despite her intentions, she had handed Severus Snape, the man whom just a few short hours ago became her husband, a possible death sentence.


	27. Chapter 26:Pain For Pleasure

**_Chapter 26: Pain For Pleasure_**

 ** _{A/N: Here's another update...}_**

 ** _My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S._**

 _The Girls Dorm, Gryffindor Tower, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

 **T** here had been no sign of Severus Snape for three nights as everyone in Hogwarts either celebrated or went about their business as if nothing were amiss. Hermione found it hard to sleep dreaming of the wizard whom had made her, his wife and a woman all within the same day. Harry and Ron had been certainly full of themselves openly boasting about how much better Hogwarts had become with their Potions Professor having been gone. As per the usual Hermione had defended Snape to them despite all of the issues she and the dour man might have had, he was being punished due to her and quite possibly killed. The amount of guilt had been overwhelming to say the least and as a result the sadness that overtook the young witch was noticeable by everyone around her if not her wrath.

The withdrawn witch hardly said a word to anyone and made frequent trips to the Headmaster's office with one inquisition after another about the return of the absent Potions Professor. Each time she was given the same news of having no word on what became of the wizard.

Hermione had not known what to do. Her guilt at the potential loss of Snape continued to weigh rather heavily upon her and the invasive line of questions from her very concerned friends only agitated her all the more.

To make matter's worse, Dumbledore's seemingly cavalier attitude about his most valuable spy being gone this long was not helping to ease her mind in the slightest. She began to question wither or not the dour wizard had meant anything to anyone other than just someone keeping order in the Slytherin dungeons.

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 _The Black Lake, The Grounds, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

Hermione had not felt much like being social and spent a good deal of her time reading near the black lake in silence. Each time she finished a page, her amber eyes scanned the surrounding area for any signs of the Potions Master's return. She'd been disappointed when he remained absent and continued her reading despite the chill form the cold that only intensified via the black water.

The memory of their last few moments together, more specifically the memory of his body crushing hers in the center of the mattress in his childhood bedroom came back more frequently than anything. She recalled noting the light green wall paper that surrounded them despite the shifting of decades. His single person mattress had been rather comfortable, a result of his magical abilities as a younger wizard she was sure given the impoverished state of everything else in Cokeworth.

She couldn't imagine a more sorrowful setting for a wizard to begin life.

There were holes in the upstairs hall, something one could imagine as being due to someone's fists having gone through the drywall. Snape's door had showed signs of abuse as well despite remaining on it's hinges.

It was clear that whomever had been in that house carried a good deal of anger and from what she saw it seemed to have a lasting effect on the adult wizard she had come to know as her Potions Professor.

"Where are you?" she asked fed up with pretending to read for the umpteenth time.

Her question was met only by lingering silence and more guilty tears as she sat staring out toward the forbidden forest in search of her husband.

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 _Unknown Location, Unknown World..._

The last thing Severus Snape recalled was being bound at the wrists and dangling from a large portion of steel as Lucius Malfoy issued his punishment for his defying of Voldemort when he had entered a marriage with Gryffindor student Hermione Granger in a bid to keep her safe from his other death eater brothers at Dumbledore's behest.

He found himself quite dazed and enduring the onset pain from his beating as well as a few broken bones. Nothing new. The dark lord had been kind enough to spare his miserable life once again and he thanked him for it as per the usual.

The Potions Master lost a great deal of blood and could hardly see his hand in front of his face much less make the trek back to Hogwarts Castle in his weakened condition. As he stumbled through the trees of what he assumed had been the forbidden forest, he could barely make out the figure of a young girl with auburn hair reading a book near a black lake.

"Lily?" he asked unsure of where he had been. "What?"

The girl continued to read not having heard him as he continued to move toward her. The sun was setting and there weren't many student out and about at these hours but the reading girl remained.

A part of the wizard knew this wasn't going to do when it came to the rules of the school and despite his condition he had been of the mind to issue out detention. Snape continued to stumble out of the forest and onto what appeared to be the grounds of Hogwarts castle.

"That's five points from Gryffindor for being out past..." he began losing his footing and collapsing on the short grass.

His collapse startled the reading girl and she immediately rushed over to him her eyes wet with tears and her expression twisted in a mix of concern and sadness.

"Severus." she said not at all seeming the least bit worried about using his first name.

"That's another five points for using my first name." he growled.

Her trembling hands were both soft and warm against his bloodied pale flesh which he only just noted as being exposed to the elements. He grunted in pain at the sensation of having his wounds touched and she apologized profusely still more interested in having him be alive than anything else.

"Sir, you need to go to the infirmary." she said softly. "You can yell at me later but right now it's imperative that I get you there."

"So...beautiful." he said meeting the girl's amber eyed gaze as he reached out to touch her cheek.

Unable to offer much protest due to having lost consciousness, Severus Snape was levitated via the girl's magic and carted off to the infirmary for the second time in a span of days. The girl whom he incidentally stumbled upon had been his own wife unbeknownst to him and the very same student whom had taken him to Madam Pomfrey before they were forced into saying their marriage vows.

"It's going to be okay, Severus." said Hermione softly, she was grateful for the return of her absent husband and Professor as the tears continued to stream down her youthful cheeks."I'm going to ensure you get the help you need."


	28. Chapter 27: Awkward Awakening

**_Chapter 27: Awkward Awakening_**

 ** _{A/N: Here's another update...}_**

 ** _My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S._**

 _The Infirmary, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

 **D** elirious and utterly exhausted, Severus Snape had a difficult time adjusting to his surroundings. He knew little about his circumstances aside from the fact that he was confined to a bed in a sterile room and at the mercy of shadowy figures speaking over him as if he had not been there while a fever ravaged his bruised and broken body and sweat poured off him in waves. Chills went through him and he found himself overtaken by a sense of fear.

"We're going to get you well again." said a familiar voice.

It wasn't the harsh tone he'd been use to whenever he ventured out into the world of cutthroats and thieves. There was a bit of innocence just below the surface and a warmth more comforting than anything draped over his shiver prone body.

"I...did you...did I...?" he attempted to speak.

The worried amber eyed witch whom had only recently become his wife did her best to put his weary mind at ease.

"Yes." she said assuming that he meant that they had succeeded in not only marrying but consummating said marriage despite the odds and the rushed timing.

"D...did I hurt you?" asked Snape with a look of absolute fear filed across his sallow pale face.

"No." replied Hermione honestly attempting to keep the tears from streaming down her cheeks in case he got the wrong idea about them. "You were...quite good and thoughtful despite everything."

She was grateful that he was alive despite his condition and the apparent onset of delirium in the wake of whatever the vile despot had done to him. Three days of no word had truly shaken her to her very core when she was warring with assuming the worst and trying to remain optimistic in the wake of the interminable waiting.

"We have to get your fever down." she said softly stroking his pale cheek without a care as to how she'd be perceived because of it. "Madam Pomfrey is going to take good care of you sir."

"D-don't go." said Snape nearly falling off the bed as Hermione attempted to do the dutiful thing and leave the med-witch to her work in restoring the cranky wizard to his usual dour self.

He gripped her hand and pulled it close to his chest. More fear made itself known as she began to note just how human the Potions Master had been in the wake of his trauma.

"Okay." she said attempting to get him to calm himself. "I'll stay as long as you need me to."

Snape seemed to settle down as Madam Pomfrey made the journey toward the ailing wizard questioning why a student was being so familiar with her Professor but never saying a word as she guessed the younger witch was merely offering a bit of compassion for the badly injured man whom had not seemed in the least capable of deciphering where he was or how he had gotten there.

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 _The Infirmary, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

Snape's obsidian eyes opened to find he'd been in the familiar setting of the Hogwarts Infirmary. He could tell by the aches and pains that lingered from his most horrific of journeys from the dark lord's inner sanctum that he was fortunate to be alive. Across from him had been a sleeping witch with auburn hair wearing Gryffindor school robes. Her hand had been resting comfortably on his chest as he seemed to have been gripping it for dear life.

Shocked by this, Snape let the witch's hand drop but it remained pressed against his chest as he attempted to get as far away from it as possible. This only served to awaken the sleeping witch whom had been more than a bit uncomfortable dozing in the nearby chair.

"Kindly take your hand off my person." said Snape narrowing his eyes at the young witch.

If Hermione needed confirmation as to wither or not her dour husband was recovered or at least coherent, she had not needed to look no further than his usual sunny deposition.

"You're alright." she said pleased despite his manner that he'd been well enough to be enraged by her showing of affection.

"I'm just peachy." replied Snape in further annoyance. "Your services or lack there of are no longer required...I can see my way to my quarters alone."

Hermione had not known what to say and simply sighed.

"Alright." she said not wishing to press him due to his ordeal and the injuries he suffered because of it, because of her. "See you next Potions Class Professor."

"Oh joy." muttered Snape as he attempted to sit up only to find that his battered and now heavily bandaged body was much too heavy for such an attempt.

"Do be careful." said Hermione turning her concern on him once more. "We were pretty badly injured and it will take some time for the healing to completely take effect."

"What are you my nurse-maid?" growled Snape still attempting to sit up despite the pain.

"No." replied Hermione narrowing her eyes at him. "But I am your wife."

Snape did his best to resist hexing the mouthy chit right then and there as she took of leave of him knowing all too well how furious the comment had made him. Despite their lack of communication and vast number of disagreements, Hermione had been pleased to have him back and to know that he'd make a full recovery.

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 _The Infirmary, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

Snape rolled his eyes as the young cheeky Gryffindor witch disappeared into the corridor with a smug expression on her face. How he wanted so badly to hex her but his wand arm was much too heavy to move. It hadn't taken long before word reached the headmaster that he'd been awakened and of course the old coot came through the doors dismissing the staff of the infirmary and conversing as always.

"Good morning Severus my boy." said Dumbledore in a pleasant tone. "Did you sleep well?"

Snape rolled his eyes once again at the question neither of them cared little for.

"If you call being delirious with fever and pain sleeping then yes, Headmaster I slept like a nonvocal baby." he grumbled.

"It seems that things between you and Miss Granger are well in hand." said the elder wizard with a hint of pleasantness in his tone. "You know she speaks very highly of you."

"Being introduced to her first cock will do that." said Snape not pulling any punches in his current mood.

"Severus." said Dumbledore none too thrilled about his choice in words.

"You expected me to romanticize what you forced me to do?" he asked with an arched brow. "This may come as a shock to you old man but I am not fond of bedding my students no matter how little you think of me."

"I suppose you think so little of me as to assume that I would accuse you of such a thing?" said Dumbledore with an arched brow of his own. "You saved Miss Granger's life and by extension Harry Potter's, was that not our agreement?"

"I don't recall making any agreements with you." growled Snape folding his arms across his chest. "As you are so fond of saying, you do not negotiate with me...I am simply given an assignment and I do it due to you having dragged me from Azkaban."

"Either way, I am pleased with how you've handled the situation with Miss Granger." continued Dumbledore. "She would have been doomed if I had to rely on anyone else."

"You don't have anyone else." growled Snape. "If you did I wouldn't be here."

"True." replied Dumbledore with a pleasant smile despite the circumstances. "I expect you to treat the girl with care and consideration...but do not forget entirely what you are suppose to be doing."

"Have I ever needed reminding of how to do my job?" asked Snape still very much annoyed. "I assure you I have no interest in the little Gryffindor chit outside of marital duty."

"See to it that it remains that way." replied Dumbledore giving the younger wizard a stern look for a moment. "Do not forget that you are expected to comply with the marriage law decree until it is repelled."

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" asked Snape with an arched brow.

"The decree demands that you bed your new wife at least once per week in a bid to help increase the wizarding population." said Dumbledore. "As with the night of your wedding, you are not allowed to use magic or potions that could disrupt the charm in place to monitor your "marital activities."

"So I have to actually play husband beyond that one night...I'd rather let the dark lord finish me off." growled the Potions Professor.

"You must play the part Severus as you have so many times before." replied Dumbledore. "It is the only way to ensure that..."

"If you mentioned the greater good one more time I just might defect." said Snape rolling his eyes once more.

"In any case, it's good to have you back." said Dumbledore. "I'm sure the students will appreciate having actual Potions lessons in place of whatever I could scramble to pass for a class in your absence."

"I can only imagine." replied Snape still in a foul mood ever since he wakened. "Now if you do not mind I need to return to my quarters before Poppy gets back with the notion to shove her Merlin awful gruel down my throat."

Dumbledore laughed in amusement before taking his leave of the Potions Professor. Dare he say it, he had missed him and of course he knew that Miss Granger had as well.


	29. Chapter 28:The Shattering Of Intellectu

_**Chapter 28: The Shattering Of Intellectual Boundaries**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...First Chapter of 2019...Happy New Year to the lot of you...plans and work unfortunately interfered for a while but alas the next chapter is here...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.**_

 _Gryffindor Table, The Great Hall, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

 **I** dle chatter filled The Great Hall as Hermione Granger found herself once more surrounded by students and back in her usual Hogwarts house robes. She had been unusually silent, even where her housemate Ronald Weasley's less than savory eating habits had been concerned. Between running her virtually unused fork over untouched spaghetti and glancing rather frequently up at the staff table where the "dreaded" Potions Professor often sat during meals and finding herself treated to the sight of an empty chair only made her more withdrawn as it were.

"Are you alright Hermione?" asked Ginny Weasley with an inquisitive expression filed across her face. "You've been quiet all evening even with Ron eating like a manner-less pig."

Her question seemed to have gotten more than Hermione's attention as both Harry Potter and Ron Weasley looked up at her from their respective meals.

"I wasn't aware that pigs have manners...and it's not my fault I enjoy good food..." said Ron in his own defense while biting into the side of an enlarged turkey leg.

Harry seemed to note his friend's lack of table manners as well but said nothing as he looked upon the silent Hermione wondering why she had not bothered to reprimand the red head wizard as she had often done so many times before over his habits.

"I've...got a lot on my mind." replied Hermione answering Ginny's initial question before looking back down at her untouched plate.

"Does it have to anything to do with our absentee Potions Professor?" asked Ginny with an arched brow. "It is a bit strange that he disappeared after summoning you to his office the other day and then Dumbledore stormed out after the two of you."

"What happened that day anyhow you didn't say anything when you came back and you looked a bit...distant ever since." said Harry observing her more closely than he had before.

"Professor Snape gave me detention I was just wondering when he would return for me to serve it and get it over with." replied Hermione before turning her attention back to her plate.

Her friends seemed to buy her excuse given how she loathed getting into trouble despite her willingness to bend the rules when she needed to to assist her friends. She much preferred to keep a low profile whenever possible and it was understandable that a detention would soil her rather stellar reputation.

"I don't know why you two are being so nosy...Hermione's just freaking out because she's got a detention with Snape to serve...and let's face it...any time spent outside of the library is a distressing time for her and it's with Snape who wouldn't be bummed about such an outcome." said Ron continuing to chew his food as if he'd been raised by cows.

Hermione rolled her eyes trying her best not to give up on her meal due to Ron's gross habits but it seemed that had been the final straw and she got to her feet more interested in the activity of her newly acquired husband than the idle gossip of her friends and housemates.

"I've got to catch up on my reading..." she said getting to her feet and making her way out of The Great Hall without another word leaving everyone to stare after her with even more unanswered questions to content with.

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 _The Corridors, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

Moving rather briskly through the vast stone corridor leading out of the Great Hall, Hermione Granger looked down at her hand noting the silver band that had been the only indication of her marriage to the Potions Master, concealed via magic from the prying eyes of her friends and those whom had not known of the arranged union.

The young witch's thoughts drifted back to her most recent carnal lesson with her talented Professor and the ache he left behind following it's conclusion. It had only been four days since that encounter yet it lingered so vividly along the darkest recesses of her mind despite her attempts to manage it and go about her life as she had before.

So much had changed in so little an amount of time that she hardly knew what to make of it. Professor Snape had been right of course, when he had told her she was a mere child before hand and knew nothing of life beyond the comforting shield of her books and exploratory imagination.

The image of the harsh speaking wizard came back to her in the form of the man towering above her in the bed that had once belonged to him as a mere lonely teenage boy. Despite the gossip about him in recent years, Hermione found herself surprised at just how warm and secretly compassionate he had been to her that fateful evening when he had taken control of the situation pertaining to keeping her from harms way due to the marriage law and she was quite grateful.

Lost in her thoughts, Hermione found herself with the urge to check on the ailing wizard and decided that it couldn't do any harm to look in on him given what she knew he suffered in the wake of keeping her from the dark lord's clutches.

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 _The Infirmary, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

The pain that seemed to make itself known the longer the Potions Professor remained conscious had been to the point of being unbearable, but he refused Madam Pomfrey's various attempts at offering him a healing potion. Their use had been ineffective for his means of wounds and were better suited to remaining in stock in case a student needed healing. Even more so with his condition rendering him unable to brew for quite some time before the tremors ceased and his hands could perform the simple task of stirring a cauldron again.

Snape stared up at the ceiling trying his best to block out the pain mentally as he began his slow crawl toward progress in healing from his wounds. He decided he wouldn't linger in the infirmary, a dangerous place to be with the number of wondering children around with death eater and Auror parents alike.

Knowing all too well that his status would be called into question, he could not afford to be seen in a weakened state. Alas Snape found himself unable to move on his own and even more so at the mercy of Madam Pomfrey's infirmary doors with their lack of concealment.

He'd nearly given up any hope of being able to make his way down to the dungeons to lick his wounds so to speak when the most insufferable of witches walked into the infirmary intent to meddle in his private affairs once again.

"Y-You shouldn't be doing that." said Hermione attempting to keep him in bed despite his attempts otherwise. "You're too badly hurt..."

"I didn't ask you for a status report." hissed Snape narrowing his obsidian gaze at the young witch before him. "And what the hell are you doing here?"

"I came to see how you were faring...the last time I saw you...you were barely conscious." said Hermione attempting to show compassion for the man that suffered so much to keep her safe.

"Like I need reminding of that." said Snape sounding a good deal embittered. "As you can see Mrs. Snape I am quite alright and would like to simply return to my quarters to recover in peace."

Hermione seemed shocked by his intentions.

"But...you haven't recovered wouldn't it be prudent to wait for Madam Pomfrey to dismiss you...?" she attempted only to be met with an intense hostile glare.

"Just because you found yourself enjoying riding my cock it doesn't give you the right to tell me what I can and cannot do." hissed Snape attempting to get away from her.

His rush to climb off the bed resulted in him missing a pained step and nearly tumbling to the floor before Hermione attempted to catch him. He ended up resting his head against her chest as she sought to lessen his fall or at the very least prevent it all together.

Frustrated by his lack of mobility, Snape had no choice but to lean against the meddling young witch.

"I cannot stay here...if my enemies even suspect of my weakness..." he began attempting reason despite his mood.

"Let me help you." she said meeting his eyes for the first time since she arrived. "Despite your manner and your apparent feelings on the subject, you can't move from this room on your own."

"Lot you know." muttered Snape recalling having returned in quite a similar condition a time or two.

"Professor, the last thing you need is to cause yourself unnecessary pain." reasoned Hermione in return. "I am to blame for your present condition so allow me to make amends by assisting you to your quarters."

Snape glared down at her for a moment or two before he noted the arrival of two students coming to seek the aid of Madam Pomfrey.

"Fine." he muttered in annoyance. "Let us be off then before I am discovered."

Hermione seemed at ease nodding in agreement before using her magic to levitate the wizard toward the floo and including a minor healing spell to ease his aches in the process. They managed to make it to the floo before the students and Madam Pomfrey could enter the main part of the infirmary leaving hardly any trace of having been there at all.

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 _Snape's Quarters, Slytherin Dungeons, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

A burst of emerald green flames saw to both Snape and Hermione being thrust into the darkened front room of Snape's private quarters within Hogwarts Castle. The scent of herbs and fresh earth hit the young witch almost immediately as well as the onset of a rather biting draft as she assisted the ailing wizard toward the center of the room. It seemed he had been of the mind to dismiss her from that point but she had other ideals as she continued to lead him toward his bedroom believing he'd be more comfortable in his own bed.

Snape rolled his eyes when she took in the sight of his bedroom and the large black four poster bed he spent hardly any time in. The room had looked like a place where a grown man would retreat from the cares of the world and slip into the relatively peaceful silence of his own dwelling and a far cry from the room he had as a boy back in Cokeworth.

Shelves of books lined the walls here as they had in the front room but not oppressively so. The decor had been ideal for a Slytherin Head of house and of course he was given to dark wood when one noted his taste in furnishings.

Snape groaned as she helped him toward his bed his battered bones creaking in the process making him more aged in his injured state than ever she thought possible before hand.

"You're assistance is no longer required." said Snape as he attempted to latch onto the poster closest to him before losing his footing as she attempted to catch him.

Luckily for them, they were close enough to the bed for it to break their fall but Snape's battered body landed on top of the witch effectively trapping her between himself and the mattress below them not so unlike when they were consummating their arranged union.

Hermione let out a soft moan despite herself as those strange feelings that had over taken her that afternoon seemed come flooding back due to the memories and Snape for all his gruffness stared down at her seemingly blank in his expression.

She had no doubt he had been recalling the same thing as his body grew tense before he once more seemed to return to his senses. The scent of jasmine had lingered in her unruly brown hair and it only intensified the rather vivid memory.

"So this was your plan?" he asked as a dark chuckle resignated from deep within his throat. "Is it an encore you wanted witch?"

Hermione had not known what to say as Snape continued to taunt and belittle her in his usual sneer.

"I...I only wanted to help you sir." she said a bit nervous about their bodies being so close together once more.

"And help me you shall." he replied in something of a cold tone. "Sooner or later...you are going to know exactly what it means to help me...and when the time comes you will recall just how foolish you are for even suggesting something so idiotic."

Snape summoned his own magic and launched himself off the witch and into the bed properly.

"As I've said, your assistance is no longer required." he repeated before turning his back to her.

Hermione caught her wayward breath and climbed off the bed wanting to say more to the wizard whom had been adamant about taunting and terrifying her. Resigning herself to his petty attempts at restoring the balance between them, she took her leave of The embittered Potions Professor contented that he could at least recover properly in the peace of his own quarters.


	30. Chapter 29:Fumbling Decrees And Odditie

**_Chapter 29: Fumbling Decrees And Oddities_**

 ** _{A/N: Here's another update...}_**

 ** _My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S._**

 _Potions Class, Slytherin Dungeons, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

 **M** uch to the dread and disappointment of many of the students of Hogwarts Castle, Severus Snape had been back on his feet and teaching within a few days or returning to his quarters to rest. Hermione couldn't have been more pleased despite the fact that she knew all too well that he had not made that much of a recovery. There were things he could not hide very well from her rather inquisitive gaze, like his favoring of his left leg in place of his right to stave off the effects of more pain. She had even noted his gripping of his quill indicated that the tremors had not subsided in the least despite his return to active teaching. Sadly despite her concerns and appeals to Dumbledore this was expected. Snape had informed her after all that he could not afford to appear weak in the face of his enemies and as such he was to suffer until the pain passed on it's own.

The newly wedded bride of the embittered man lecturing on the difference between Canis Root and Crimson Canis Root along with it's properties found it difficult to keep her mind on her studies as she seemed to be plagued with comparisons of the wizard she shared a bed with and the man clad in ebony before her as he had been in all the years she had known him. Ginny Weasley often joked about what Snape might look like outside of his usual attire but only Hermione had barely a glimpse of the man shirtless and given to human characteristics aside from brooding.

She'd seen his notoriously furious obsidian eyes blazing with unrestrained passion as well as the shifting tone of his voice when lust had colored his senses. It was a startling contrast to say the least despite the professional setting of the classroom. The bulge in his trousers from that night still had a prominent place in her memories despite her not being able to see for herself what he hid so carefully from the view of young girls such as herself beneath the facade of indifference and contempt.

"Miss Granger?" hissed Snape narrowing his eyes at his rather distant young wife as she fumbled about startled by his attention being solely upon her.

The sudden onset of nerves caused the normally highly focused witch to unceremoniously knock over the container of ink spilling the black substance all over her notes and desk respectively.

"I...yes Professor Snape?" she said attempting to recover her folly rather dutifully causing the Slytherins whom had long wished for her humiliation in the classroom basked in amusement.

Snape himself seemed to delight in her apparent misery much to the agitation of the witch herself and Harry Potter whom had been only a few seconds from launching hexes in the chuckling Draco Malfoy's direction.

"I suggest you get your head out of the clouds and pay attention to the lecture." warned Snape making it clear that he was in the least thrilled about her behavior as of late.

"I'm sorry sir...it won't happen again." she said quickly.

Snape glared at her for a moment taking in the sorry sight before him in the form of his new wife.

"See to it that it doesn't." he said before turning his attention to his desk and whatever it was that he began to scribble upon the parchment.

Harry turned his attention to Hermione not sure he knew what had been behind that brief exchange between Snape and his best friend.

"Are you alright?" whispered Harry rather concerned.

Hermione nodded not wishing to add to her already noted detention and her ailing husband's agitation by talking in class.

She turned her attention back to her ruined parchment and proceeded to try to start over when the onset of pain saw to her nearly falling our of her chair. The noise had gotten the Potions Master's undivided attention as he felt the onset of a burning sensation as well.

His eyes widened and almost immediately he braced himself before he too lost his footing. The idiotic Ministry of Magic were quite intent on forcing magical breeding it seemed and Hermione's recent pain had been the result of it.

"HERMIONE!" shouted Harry attempting to come to her rescue only to be stopped in his tracks by a swift moving angry Snape.

"DO NOT TOUCH HER!" he growled almost possessive in his temperament as he scooped the ailing witch into his arms and turned his attention toward the door. "All of you are to remain seated until further notice."

"What's wrong with Hermione?" asked Harry defiant in his attempt to gain information.

"Obviously she is in a good deal of pain...and I am going to attempt to get her to Madam Pomfrey as soon as possible which could be done a lot faster if you would see your way to sitting back down and shutting your mouth Potter." growled Snape in annoyance.

Harry narrowed his eyes at the older wizard wanting so badly to argue but noting Hermione had been in such pain it only proved the git right to have said what he did. He sat back down and Snape took off as quickly as he could but unbeknownst to his wife's best friend, it wasn't in the direction of the infirmary.

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 _Snape's Quarters, Slytherin Dungeons, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

Bursting through the floo with his young student wife in his arms, Snape knew immediately what must be done to stave off the effects of pain running through the young witch's body. It had slipped both of their respective minds that neither had complied with the ruling on how many times they were to enact their wedding night in accordance with the marriage law decree. Believing they had more time before The Ministry Of Magic could interfere in their lives, they foolishly avoided the issue. Of course Snape's injuries and Hermione's guilt had prevented any means of discussing how their arranged marital duties would be handled but now it seemed there was no more time for delays.

"Professor...?" groaned the witch as she found herself still being carried in the Potions Professor's arms.

"Quiet." said Snape trying his best to concentrate on the task at hand. "Another lesson is in order due to The Ministry of Magic's brilliant decree...I have even less time to educate you and the pain you are feeling is a result of our "non compliance."

Hermione processed this for a moment as Snape carried her to his bedroom and quickly lied her on the large black four poster bed she'd helped him into during his recovery from being punished by Voldemort.

"Prof..." she began noting how easily he spelled away her school attire and his own before fumbling into bed with her.

Almost immediately, she had been silenced by his grasping her slender thighs and parting them to prepare her as he had on their wedding night for their inevitable mandatory coupling. His slick tongue mostly used for dealing out biting insults was once again at work stimulating the most sensitive parts of her being.

Snape continued to keep his mind on the task at hand ignoring the sensation of lust creeping into him as he took care to ensure she had been ready for her second lesson in carnal exploits. As quickly and as carefully as he had entered her during their first trial, he had done so again leaving the young witch to gasp as he filled her.

Hermione closed her eyes feeling the onset of various forms of stimulation at once her trembling hands roamed along his lean pale chest noting the scars on his flesh via them grazing along her fingertips.

Pushing past her senses, the curious witch opened her eyes to note the wizard that was bedding her had his own eyes closed rather tightly despite his desperate grip on her and the sensation of him impaling her on his rather enormous appendage and withdrawing in frequent thrusts.

This was her second encounter with her Potions Professor husband and it seemed to hurt in terms of the initial onset less than the first time yet she was still shocked about it's occurrence. Snape grunted and groaned in her ear but never said a word as he continued doing his best to perform as it were despite the pain from the Ministry of Magic's non-compliance charm.

As his thrust increased in intensity, Snape suddenly opened his eyes needing to see the expression on the face of the young witch as he etched himself into the banks of her memories as the first man to ever take her to bed. An accomplishment only made possible via Dumbledore's insistence and the idiocy of The Ministry of Magic due to their half brained decree.

On paper it seemed an ideal solution to solving the problem of the lack of wizarding blood within the magical community, but as with all political moves...this had not been thought out in it's entirety and thus the dark lord was able to capitalize on it. Muggle-borns were being rounded up and slain in droves due to their marital obligations.

"F-Fuck..." hissed Snape feeling his wall of resistance to the overwhelming sensation of pleasure began to crumble the longer he thrust his cock into the witch below him.

Her moans began to fill the bedroom and Snape barely had time to recall not casting a silencing charm before taking her. Realizing now that he needed to end this as quickly as possible, he let himself be overtaken by the sensations running rampant throughout his body.

Hermione could scarcely describe the intensity of the moment as she felt him release and pull her along with him as she panted and gasped for breath in the wake of their latest coupling.

Snape panted as his body collapsed onto the young witch. He'd been unable to move after expending himself and used his magic to roll onto his preferred side of the bed until he could regain his strength and move on.

Lying there in relative silence aside from collective heavy panting, both Hermione and The Potions Professor noted the receding non-compliance charm before falling into a forced means of slumber.


	31. Chapter 30:The Refined Complexities Of

**_Chapter 30: The Refined Complexities Of Sexual Involvement_**

 ** _{A/N: Here's another update...Happy Birthday Severus Snape...sorry for the delays work was quite hectic and thus I was much too tired to put out new chapters...}_**

 ** _My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S._**

 _The Bedroom, Snape's Quarters, Slytherin Dungeons, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

 **S** lowly the apparent bliss of having slumbered following an round of strenuous sexual activity began to ebb away as Potions Professor Severus Snape found himself rousing to the most infuriating sound of his name being called but an equally infuriating old man with hostile blue eyes. Snape groaned allowing his mind to adjust to the interruption of his sleep all the while noting a consistent warmth beside him and the oddest sensation of having been drained of ever ounce of his seed and left with relative soreness. He made a mental note that skipping his sexual encounters with Hermione Granger was not an ideal thing to do and that the consequences were quite painstaking.

"SEVERUS!" growled the voice of the rather furious Headmaster as his unnerving blue gaze fell upon the younger raven haired wizard.

"Bloody hell what is it this time old man?" grumbled Snape sitting up in bed and finding that he'd been still quite naked from his encounter with the equally naked young witch rousing from her own bout of slumber as well.

"What is the meaning of your skipping out on a class..." began Dumbledore before noting the young witch trying her best to shield her naked form from the collective view of both Professors.

"Oh...I see." said Dumbledore stopping in his tracks. "I didn't realize that you and Miss Granger were due to...my apologies Severus."

Snape rolled his eyes noting how easily the old man seemed to let go of his hostility but he had known all too well that it was only due to the girl's presence and that the Headmaster meant to continue giving him a piece of his no doubt deranged mind at a later date.

Snape sighed leaning back against the headboard as The Headmaster took his leave of the newly weds not wishing to add to the young witch's embarrassment.

"We need to discuss some kind of...arrangement." said Snape despite his loathing of the subject of his forced couplings with his student turned wife.

Hermione nodded in agreement still pulling the sheet up over her youthful breasts. Snape rolled his eyes at her idiotic attempt at modesty this late in the game. He had after all been privy to the look of them due to their previous encounter. It had taken quite a bit for him to ignore the images of her naked and writhing beneath him while she sat in his class beside Potter of all people taking notes and going about her school hour as if nothing had ever occurred between them.

"W-When do you wish to discuss...our arrangement." she asked trying her best not to note just how sticky her bare flesh felt from the mix of sweat and the left over evidence of their sexual act.

She tried her best not to wince as she briefly recalled the sensation of the man beside her having thrust his well hidden appendage between her thighs and given her a mind bending experience of unyielding pleasure and pain in a single afternoon.

Snape seemed quite aware of her relative discomfort and sighed.

"Miss Granger...Hermione...I suggest you make use of that pain potion beside you on the table to keep from having to endure...such discomfort." he said evenly. "You are not only not accustomed to intercourse of any kind and my relative...size doesn't make our forced coupling any less difficult."

Hermione had not been sure she had heard him correctly although she guessed that he had been keeping her in the dark about his appendage for a reason. He had seen all of her naked before his very piercing eyes of rich obsidian and yet she knew little about his body.

"How is it that you've seen all of me naked and you manage to conceal yourself?" she asked rather randomly.

Snape arched a brow at this.

"You are curious about my cock." he said observing the blush on her cheeks when he said those words and rolled his eyes. "Still a foolish child I see."

"I'm not a child any longer!" said Hermione angered by her husband's dismissal of her and her curiosities. "I am merely curious...you...well when we were...intimate you felt quite large...and...well I am curious to know if I was right...I mean I am your wife and it's kind of odd that I don't hardly anything about you."

Snape rolled his eyes at her annoying logic.

"Seeing my cock is not going to give you inside information about me..."he said before turning his attention toward the far wall. "It appears our forced coupling is at an end...now get out."

Hermione sighed in a combination of disappointment and annoyance as she scrambled to get out of the angry wizard's bed. She still found it difficult to move with the ache between her legs but she willed herself to quickly dress and storm out of the rather brutish git's quarters if only to have some peace from his harsh words and piercing eyes seemingly looking down on her despite any attempt she made to get him to see her as more than just some silly girl fate had chosen to lump in the worst of predicaments with him.

The Potions Master said nothing as the girl stormed out not even as he noted her obvious pain as she had forgotten to take the pain potion with her when she had gone. He rolled his eyes at her insolence.

"Stupid girl." he muttered more so to himself as he looked down at the mess they had made of his bed over the duration of their act. "Fucking stupid girl."

There was a slight twitch in his overly used cock from just the thought of her naked form shuffling about the room just before she had taken her leave of him. Snape did his best to push away the image.

"She knows not what she has asked of me." he said staring down at his hands as they clinched when his cock returned to life at the thought of his most recent coupling with his young wife. "Stupid girl."

Severus Snape sighed trying his best to bury the images of his sorted past and the man he had been before being lured into the ranks of the Order Of Phoenix. Many young and idiotic girls like her had fallen victim to his rather dark lust their screams still echoed in his mind whenever he had been alone in the darkness of his private quarters. He cared for nothing then and took his pleasures in the face of their agony citing it as a much sweeter aspect of his skillful conquests.

Being the son of Tobias Snape did not help him in this regard, the tragic vile traits of the muggle man that made his life a living hell since before he could remember were rampant in him and made his death eater status so much easier to believe.

No, Hermione Granger wasn't the first virgin Gryffindor witch to fall victim to the lure of his enormous appendage, but she would be the last as he held no illusions as to how the inevitable war would play and he had hoped there would be something of the idiotic girl left to salvage once it was all said and done.


	32. Chapter 31:A Means Of Understanding

**_Chapter 31: A Means Of Understanding_**

 ** _{A/N: Here's another update...}_**

 ** _My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S._**

 _The Front Room, Snape's Quarters, Slytherin Dungeons, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

 **T** he shattering of glass had been as constant as the crackling of the yellow orange flames that danced inside the ever burning fireplace as Severus Snape did his best to compose himself following his second sexual encounter with his young wife, Hermione Granger. Amid the smoke from the flames, Snape could see the haunting images from the past that had long plagued him since his youth. Images of the most difficult young witch with eyes like emeralds and strawberry colored hair.

"Lily." he said recognizing the figure immediately.

 _"Come on Sev."_ she had said as if beckoning to him through the flames.

"Professor Snape?" said Hermione Granger as she entered the Potions Professor's quarters.

Moving back from the fireplace as quickly as he had approached it, Snape turned his attention to the witch whom had recently left his bed.

"W-what are you doing back here Miss Granger?" he asked noting her presence.

The seemingly calm witch had done her best to appear unaffected by the fact that he had still been quite naked and seemed to have been drinking.

"I came back for the pain potion I forgot to take with me..." she said wincing a bit as she moved. "You were a bit rough the last go round."

Snape's dark gaze moved toward her body as he noted her vain attempts to stave off the pain from her second sexual encounter. As he gazed upon her body she had done the same with his getting a rather good look at his most valuable physical asset in all it's entirely.

Despite the semi-darkness of the front room, her cheeks turned beet red and a long standing curiosity had been laid to rest. The semi drunken Potions Professor smirked knowing all too well what had been going through her mind.

"Rest assure Miss Granger, you've only taken half of my cock during our unsavory encounters...given your relative tightness, I was never of the mind to push any further." he said moving about the front room as if he had not a care in the world.

Hermione appeared to be a bit uncomfortable with the knowledge that she had anything remotely the size he had been inside her for any length of time and tried her best to ignore the banter she once shared with the girls in her dormitory about certain hidden aspects of the male teaching staff they found to be attractive. Although, when it came to what Ginny Weasley referred to as "trouser snakes", Severus Snape was apparently hiding what had been akin to a basilisk beneath his unseemly ebony robes every morning.

It was no wonder she was feeling a bit of tenderness between her thighs.

Snape smirked once more as he waved his hand summoning the pain potion before holding out his hand for his young wife to obtain it from him. She approached him rather timidly trying her best to keep from staring once more at the massive appendage between his own pale thighs.

"T-Thank you." she said rather nervously as she took it and uncorked it almost immediately.

Snape watched her down the contents before she handed the now empty phial back to him and began to step toward the door before stopping. He found her strange behavior curious in his own right but had been caught off guard as she made her way back toward him, this time planting a kiss upon his lips despite her initial fear of him in his naked state.

What he had not realized, was Hermione had noticed more than his appendage during her return to the dungeons. She had made him quite aware as her soft warm hands moved along the scared flesh that covered his exposed lean pale chest.

He had not known if it was the utter sincerity of her apparently growing affection for him or the firewhiskey coursing through him, but he found himself freely returning her kiss to the point of lifting her off the floor and into his arms as if they had truly been lovers.

Once Snape managed to come back to his senses, he put her back down pulling away from her in a bid to compose himself. The amber eyed witch treated him to an affectionate smile before taking her leave of him without another word. It was clear that the potion had done wonders for her as she didn't appear to have been in any more pain during her departure.

Finding himself alone once more, Snape waved his hand spelling on his trousers and turning his attention back to the flames dancing within the fire place.

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 _The Corridors, Hogwarts Castle Wizarding World..._

Hermione Granger-Snape had not been able to stop smiling since she left her husband's quarters unable to understand her own fluctuating emotions as she made her way back toward Gryffindor tower. Taking a brief moment to gather herself, Hermione stopped long enough to get a view of the night sky on the grounds and take in the fresh night air before she had to face her friends and the many other students that inhabited the school.

It had not been long before her mind traveled back to her second sexual encounter with her Potions Professor husband and the apparent close call they had when they had gone too long without complying with the Ministry of Magic's decree. She had not wished to chance the magical officials interfering in their plans and she didn't think Snape had been of the mind to allow it either given what he suffered after defying the despot by marrying her in the first place.

It was becoming all too clear that if they were going to beat the new wizarding system while simultaneously engaging in war, they were going to have to come up with a better means of arrangement to ensure they complied with the rules of the decree entirely. As Hermione continued to ponder her next move as she made her way back to Gryffindor tower, The seemingly ever present and watchful Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore seemed to be in agreement.


	33. Chapter 32:Lingering Implications

**_Chapter 32: Lingering Implications_**

 ** _{A/N: Here's another update...}_**

 ** _My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S._**

 _The Corridors, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

 **M** orning had come with a sense of something that Hermione couldn't quite describe as she made her way through the lengthy corridor in a bid to make her way to the Great Hall. It had been a relatively uneventful morning aside from the lingering memories of the previous night when she had returned to her Potions Professor's quarters and the emotionally charged kiss they shared. She had not been the least bit afraid of him she found, even with all of his scars and his body exposed before her very young eyes for the first time in all of the years that she had known him. He seemed more vulnerable in that one moment than he had been even when she found him beaten half to death by the despot Voldemort after one of his death eater meetings.

She had not gotten very far down the corridor when she was suddenly stopped by the ever brooding Potions Professor fully clad in his usual ebony attire and apparently well recovered from his drunken escapades in the dungeons. His harsh obsidian gaze had sent chills down her spine but not in the way that it use to whenever he cornered her and her friends whenever he believed them to have been up to something.

"G-Good morning Professor Snape." she said unsure of what to make of the imposing wizard standing before her.

Snape said nothing as he appeared to be looking her over for a few moments making the strange feelings that seemed to start in her belly continue to get the better of her.

"You still have a detention to serve Miss Granger." he said, his deep baritone drawl echoing in her ears.

Hermione nodded knowing very well that there was a good chance that there would be eyes on them even if the corridors did appear empty with everyone off at breakfast.

Without another word, Snape took his leave of her heading in the opposite end of the corridor. Hermione wondered if he intended to skip breakfast as she continued with her own journey into the great hall.

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 _The Corridors, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

Severus Snape continued on toward his office not wishing to venture into the great hall at this time. One of the draw backs to having his libido recharged after years of self inflicted suppression had been his constant issue with getting an erection at the worst possible time of the day.

He had not expected to run into a very late Hermione Granger on his way out of the great hall after a brief meeting with Dumbledore and he surely had not expected to have to fight the sudden impulsive decision to seize the young witch before she entered the room full of hormonal teenage boys and assert his dominance in the form of sexual gratification when it came to her either.

Rolling his eyes at the thought of his libido being more interested in the likes of Hermione Granger than any other aspect of himself, Snape pushed open the door to his office hoping that a bit of work would put the witch out of his mind at least for the time being.

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 _The Great Hall, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

Hermione entered The Great Hall and made her way toward the Gryffindor table. Harry seemed relieved to see her as had been Ginny Weasley. Ron had been stuffing his face as per the usual as if he had not a care in the world. The green eyed wizard ensured Hermione had a place to sit beside him as he treated her to a warm smile before finally addressing her near absence and what happened after the strange incident in Potions Class.

"It's good to see you up and about Mione." said Harry. "It seems the greasy git got you some decent help after all."

Hermione's cheeks turned red briefly before she realized what everyone around her must have believed when the non compliance charm had gotten a hold of her. It had been quite a frightening experience to say the least but Severus had been there to see her through it even if he had not liked having to be the one to initiate things in such a state.

"Yes Professor Snape assisted me, and gave me detention for disturbing the class." she replied recovering smoothly.

It seemed to go over well as Harry rolled his eyes.

"The greasy git strikes again." said Ron shaking his head.

"Well said Ron." agreed Harry Potter before turning his attention to his bowl of oatmeal.

"Professor Snape isn't that bad." replied Hermione trying her best to conceal her new found affection for the wizard she had seen in more than one vulnerable instance.

"Not that bad...he's tormented poor Neville for years and let's not forget what he threatened to do to his frog Trevor." said Ron in disbelief.

"He was just giving him incentive to try harder...people tend to respond more appropriately when lives are on the line...like in Potions Class when one wrong mixture could get us all killed." said Hermione in defense of her husband.

"Or what about the time he hung us both upside down after whacking us across the head with a dictionary?" asked Harry with an arched brow.

"That's about all he did if I recall and you two were going over board with the cheek." said Hermione.

"Be that as it may...Snape's still a greasy git." muttered Ron clearing the rest of what remained of his breakfast before turning his attention to the eggs and toast on Hermione's. "You going to eat that?"

Hermione rolled her eyes pushing away her plate and getting to her feet.

"Have at it Ron." she said fed up with the discussion and breakfast it seemed.

"Mione where are you going...you just got here?" asked Harry with an inquisitive expression filed across his face.

"I'm going to study...I have a few questions on the up coming quiz in Potions Class and despite what you two may think about Professor Snape, I happen to appreciate his challenging approach to lessons." replied the amber eyed witch.

Having heard all they needed to hear on the subject of Snape and studying, everyone turned their collective attentions back to their respective meals as Hermione took her leave of them not in the least bit interested in breakfast so much as she had been interested in what was going on with her new husband.


	34. Chapter 33:Embittered Aspects

**_Chapter 33: Embittered Aspects_**

 ** _{A/N: Here's another update...sorry for the delays a bit of craziness was going on at the job as well as unwanted changes...}_**

 ** _My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S._**

 _Severus Snape's Office, Slytherin Dungeons, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

 **P** archment and a few stacks of books went flying across the darkened office where Severus S. Snape stood leaning against his desk with his eyes wild and his mind hazed. He had been quite keen when it came to intellectual challenges and even more so when those said challenges involved potions. As entertaining as it had been to bed Hermione Granger the first two times, his unruly cock's impulses had been something else all together.

The enraged Potions Professor concluded that he had been quite thoroughly dosed via a lust potion and the burning in his loins had been great evidence of that. The mere whiff of the little witch's jasmine scented bushy hair had set him off and he knew only one that had been capable of pulling off such a ridiculous feat.

"Albus you son of a bitch!" growled Snape smashing one of his empty jars against the cold stone wall opposite him just as the aforementioned bushy haired witch entered his domain.

Snape's obsidian gaze shifted to her shortly before he gathered himself enough to bolt behind his desk and collapse into his large leather chair glaring rather murderously at her for having the gall to intrude. The office had not been locked nor warded due to the daily activity of the students and their possible need to seek his counsel especially his young Slytherins during the day, but her being present annoyed him none the less.

"Professor?" said Hermione stepping into the room as she looked upon the small heap of broken glass before Snape waved his hand and made it vanish with minimal effort.

"What do you want foolish girl?" he hissed as his obsidian eyes narrowed in her direction.

"I was wondering if we could...speak privately." said Hermione not at all wishing to incur her Potions Professor husband's apparent wrath, but not in the least intimidated by it.

"We've conversed all we needed to in the corridor, Miss Granger." replied Snape doing his best to remain as neutral as possible against the heat that filled him due to the onset of her presence. "Did we not?"

Hermione had not known what to make of the tall brooding pale man clad in ebony as he sat behind his desk as menacing a sight as he had ever been, but the memories...the rather detailed memories of their spirited interactions since becoming joined as husband and wife had taken her mind by storm and she found herself moving closer to the desk in a bid to be near him.

She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something...something she had no words for when it came to how she felt about being around him it was almost as if she had been desperate for his attention more so than usual.

"I...I don't think we have sir." she said rather bravely, no doubt doing her house a good deal of credit as she continued to stand before the rather moody Slytherin.

Snape narrowed his eyes at the brave little Gryffindor, a coldness filled him as he had decided her needy nature sickened him much more than it use to. The involuntary twitching of his cock, which had been tucked rather poorly behind his ebony trousers seemed to give life to an unspoken desire he had little use for.

"Perhaps I haven't made myself clear." he said moving from behind his desk and making his way over to the rather silent but notoriously brave little witch. "I am in no mood for games, Miss Granger."

"That's wonderful Professor, as I have no intention of playing any." she replied meeting his dark gaze with her own amber eyes. "I wanted to...the other night...something happened...something neither of us seem to be prepared to acknowledge but given our situation I feel the reasonable thing to do would be to address it."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." replied Snape in his usual emotionless tone. "You are little more than a nuisance to me as you always were, but with the added bonus of monogamous trim to alleviate the aggravation."

"Professor...Severus..." began Hermione only to be cut off by a growling Severus Snape whom had swooped upon her so fast that she could hardly catch her breath.

"Foolish idiotic girl." he hissed glaring at her rather murderously.

Hermione simply met his gaze unwilling to be intimidated by him, least of all when it came to the ramifications of their ongoing sexual exploits. Snape seemed all the more enraged by her gall and in a swift motion he scooped her off the floor and pinned her onto his desk with her belly pressed against the wood and terror filed across her youthful face.

The bushy haired girl had been quite shocked by the level of malice as well as the strength behind her Potions Professor husband's movements. Before she could even let out a whimper he had been behind her, his ebony clad form pressed against her as he leaned with his chest pressed against her back in a bid to speak to her directly.

"Did you really think you could dictate the way this little act would go?" he asked in a harsh tone. "I'll not be a slave to my own cock because some little chit can't see fit to focus on something other than the wetness between her legs."

"I...I wasn't..." began Hermione unsure of what he had been accusing her of.

"Silence." hissed Snape even more enraged by his own arousal at the very sight of the girl he pressed against his desk.

Hermione let out a short gasp when she felt his twitching appendage pressed into her bent over body trying to make sense of not only what was happening in terms of her new husband's rage but what her body was doing in response to it.

A low moan escaped her further angering Snape due to his increased arousal and before either of them knew it, it seemed their respective bodies had other ideas as Snape found himself pressing into the young witch and retreating only to do it again and again. Hermione bit her bottom lip as her body rocked with the old wooden desk in time with his movements.

The embittered Potions Professor's groans coupled with Hermione's low whimpers filled the office for a time before Snape got the better of himself and pulled away furious by the fact that his newly awakened sexual desires were getting the better of him.

"Do you see what you've done?" he growled in the younger witch's ear. "Every second of every day I spend in this idiotic marriage will only ensure I destroy you and the world around you."

"S-Severus..." whimpered Hermione trying to catch her breath in the wake of his intense emotional war with himself.

"You will not make me him." growled Snape with his resolve strengthened as he backed away from her.

"I...I wasn't trying to..." began Hermione still unsure how to make sense of what was happening with him.

" ." replied Snape glaring at her in a murderous manner once more.

Seeing there was little room for continued discussion, Hermione adjusted her attire and made her way out of the Potions Professor's office with him slamming the door behind her. With the utterly confused young witch gone, Snape slammed his fists upon the surface of the desk where he had the girl pinned.

"Damn you Albus." he growled still clearly enraged.


	35. Chapter 34:Stormy Indifference

**_Chapter 34: Stormy Indifference_**

 ** _{A/N: Here's another update...still debating on whither or not to enter the Wattys this year with this tale...}_**

 ** _My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S._**

 _The Corridors, Hogwarts Castle Wizarding World..._

 **F** uming as he moved about the vast corridors of Hogwarts Castle, The Potions Master made his way toward his private quarters terrifying any student unfortunate enough to have crossed his path. The Golden Trio had been quite puzzled about his increased hostility, but none had been more puzzled about it than Hermione herself. Snape seemed to have been on the proverbial "war path" ever since she had that strange encounter with him in his office and it was quite strange to see him taking his apparent frustrations out on the unsuspecting in the form of both student and staff members of Hogwarts.

"Snape's at it again." said Ron Weasley not wishing to have to endure the wrath of the Potions Professor since the man struck him over the head with a book during one of his lectures where Ron had been nibbling on a biscuit from lunch he had hidden in his cloak.

"I am in no mood for him today." grumbled Harry recalling how Snape gave him four weeks detention with Filch for breathing too loud in class the previous week.

Hermione sighed.

Despite being apparently angered by her presence, Snape seemed to go out of his way to avoid her even more so than usual.

"Well, I think it's highly unfair that Professor Snape is taking whatever frustrations he is having on you Harry." replied the bushy haired witch. "In fact...I'm going to speak with him about this."

"Mione NO!" said Harry terrified of what Snape would do if she dared to interfere in his punishment. "Snape's already pretty steamed, just let him be alright before you make things worse or he finds a way to torture you too."

Hermione of course had not heard a word he said, as she had made up her mind a long time ago to have a word or two with her moody git of a secret husband.

Before either Harry Potter or Ronald Weasley could stop her, she'd been halfway to the Slytherin dungeons trailing after the angry Potions Professor as if she had no cause to fear his inevitable wrath.

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 _Severus Snape's Office, The Slytherin Dungeons, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

Another empty bottle of Ogren's finest smashed against the nearby wall and Snape turned his attention toward opening another. Given his nature, Severus Snape was not a man that enjoyed having his emotions on display for anyone let alone was he a man that had been easily swayed by them but that is precisely what was happening to him.

He had deduced all too late that his undisclosed affair with his student Hermione Granger was taking a toll on him that he had not anticipated. Prior to being forced to wed her, he was celibate and quite in control of at least one aspect of his miserable existence only for Dumbledore to find a way to bind him to the leash in that regard as well. The problem had been in the fact that Snape had not been well accustomed to the intense surge of sexual desire that had begun to plague him the moment he stopped taking the suppression potion.

And to make matters a good deal worse for the already struggling wizard, the idiot girl had been in the beginning stages of ovulation and had little to no clue that she was. Her very presence had only intensified the intensely repressed sexual desires of a man whom had lived for quite a while without and resulted in his vast resentment of not only her and the farce of a marriage forced upon him, but himself for wanting her so badly.

"Stupid girl." hissed Snape trying his best to ignore the throbbing sensation in his cock as his mind once more traveled back to when he had last taken her to bed.

His drinking had usually been reserved for the end of the day when everyone had been turned in for the night and there was little in terms of his profession to see to aside from late night patrols about the castle.

On this occasion, he had already finished his classes and Filch had been set to patrol for the afternoon so he had been quite free to indulge as he liked. Sadly, his time that afternoon had not been as free as he would have liked after being disturbed by the sound of knocking coming from behind his office door.

Rolling his eyes, Snape made his way back behind his desk glaring at the student foolish enough to seek out his attention despite having a good idea as to whom it had been.

"Enter." he said in a low angry tone.

Proving herself to be as predictable as always, Hermione Jean Granger entered Severus Snape's office, her amber eyes wide as she noted the mess he had once more made of it. No sooner had she stepped inside, the door slammed and Snape waved his hand warding it and ensuring none would be privy to their discussion should prying eyes and eager ears be out and about in the dungeons.

"To what do I owe this displeasure Miss Granger." said Snape not at all hiding his contempt for his student turned wife.

Hermione observed him for a few moments.

She had not known why but she seemed to have quite a keen interest in either invoking the brooding man's ire or succumbing to her rather heated attraction to him. The first two times he had taken her to bed, it was out of pure necessity given the nature of their new found arrangement. Still, she could not get the rather gratifying experiences out of her mind and fought very valiantly to suppress them when around him in a more public setting, but being alone with him was another matter altogether.

"I still would like to speak with you Professor." said Hermione fumbling with her thoughts before finding the words. "I need to speak with you...Severus."

At the mention of his first name, Snape quickly got out of his chair and once more pinned her to his rapidly cleared desk. A low growl escaped him as he leaned down to speak into her ear as she bit her lip unable to stop the strange sensation building within her in the wake of her Potions Professor, lover's rough antics.

"Stupid girl." he growled pressing his very sizable erection into her body as he had the day in his office when he had cast her out and avoided her following their near romp encounter. "I've warned you before that you were playing a very dangerous game."

"I...I had no intention of playing anything..." gasped Hermione before feeling a tugging at her school uniform and the subsequent shift of her skirt and knickers.

Snape's large rough calloused hand moved along the smooth flesh of her suddenly exposed arse for a few moments inciting a few gasps from the seemingly excited young witch.

"Is this what you came here for?" he asked unzipping his trousers and freeing his pulsing pale appendage.

"I...I wished to know why you were acting...so..." Hermione's speech had been cut off by the onset of the intrusion of his enormous cock into her inviting warmth.

Her gasps filled the office blocked from the ears of any whom had not been worthy enough to have heard them.

"P-Professor..." she moaned clawing at the table she'd been pressed against belly first.

"DO NOT CALL ME THAT!" hissed Snape thrusting into her hard in retaliation of her perceived slight against him.

"S-Severus..." whimpered Hermione feeling a mix of arousal and discomfort in the wake of the older man's overwhelming sexual desire for her.

"Do you see...what you've made me become?" he growled in her ear. "Every second of every day I find myself scheming to justify feeling this...tight fucking trim enveloping my cock...being reduced to little more than a rutting animal is not something I aspire to Mrs. Snape."

The bushy haired witch had not known what had come over her but she craved the brooding wizard more than even she had initially let on it seemed as he continued to give her what she secretly wished for in the semi darkness of his office.

They had gone on like that for quite a while, rutting in the silence of the darkness aside from their mutual grunts and groans until Snape felt the inevitable tingling in his loins and his body grew tense. He knew all too well what the future had in store for them, at least as far as their physical lust for one another had been concerned. And it was a future to no doubt be marred by diapers and incessant crying as her ovulation only increased the wizard's desire to claim her womb.

He had barely managed to let her go the first time without sating his lust when they had been alone and he last had her pressed against his desk but this time, the blatant fantasies and what if scenarios had gotten the better of him and he knew she would not leave without his seed filling her belly.

A harsh groan escaped the older wizard and the floodgates had been opened before rational thought could appeal to his sense of logic and Hermione found herself nearly overwhelmed by the sensation of being filled with the inviting warmth making it's way to her womb via her Potions Professor husband.

"SEVERUS!" shouted the young witch gripping the desk as she lost herself in the throes of passion.

Panting and spent beyond belief, the drunken wizard pulled away from her noting the lack of his seed escaping her apparently greedy womb and made his way toward his chair. The equally panting Hermione Granger managed to get back to a vertical base as she set about tending to her attire and watching the dark eyed drunken wizard as he began to settle down following his sating of their mutual lust.

Snape leaned back into his chair, closing his eyes and attempting to catch his breath. Hermione said nothing once she had been spelled clean and properly redressed. Snape still had not moved his slick pale cock still peeking out of his trousers in the wake of their act and his ebony attire still draped over his tense lean pale body.

"I believe it's time for you to go, Miss Granger." he said not opening his eyes as he spoke.

Hermione seemed to have been in agreement as she quietly made her way to the unwarded door more confused about her feelings for her Potions Professor than ever. She didn't understand how he could make her feel so wonderful and so low all at the same time and yet, she couldn't help but want to linger in his presence despite his relative coldness toward her.

Given her youth and relative inexperience with the matters pertaining to sex, Hermione had been quite at a disadvantage when it came to understanding the notions of the stormy indifference her Potions Professor seemed to exhibit when it came to passion.

Unbeknownst to her, the numerous forced couplings had given way to something else all together as she failed to note that for the first time since their marriage began, Severus Snape had not initiated the act of sex with her out of necessity. He had done so out of pure unrestrained desire and to him it had been most disconcerting, not even he could find a means of justifying what had just happened between him and his student wife.


	36. Chapter 35:The Beginnings Of An Adult E

**_Chapter 35: The Beginnings Of An Adult Education_**

 ** _{A/N: Here's another update...}_**

 ** _My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S._**

 ** _{"_ _Afternoon in the homeroom, they're about to let you go...And the locker slams on the plans you had tonight...You've been messing around with your boyfriend, maybe better left alone...There's a wise guy that you know who could put you right...In the lot, the boy that's idling by doesn't rev your heart...'Cause it's only lonely spots he shares with you...And the long halls and the gray walls are gonna split apart...Believe it or not there's life after high school...And that's why...The student body's got a bad reputation (oh yeah, oh yeah)...What they need is adult education...You go back to school, it's a bad situation (oh yeah, oh yeah)...What you want is an adult...Education..._ _"} Adult Education, Hall & Oates_**

 _Snape's Office, Slytherin Dungeons, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

 **S** till panting from his latest compulsive sexual romp with Hermione Granger, Severus Snape found himself alone once more as he did his best to adjust to the intoxicated sensation of release after he had dismissed the witch without even giving her a second glance. Internally he had been furious about his lack of control concerning his cock, which had still been slick due to his efforts to sate his lust and still protruding from his trousers. To say he had been ashamed about his previous actions had been something of an understatement despite the fact that he couldn't allow himself to completely hate what took place. She had been his wife after all and if a bloke could get sexual release from anywhere, he saw no reason why he couldn't do so with her of all people.

Snape sighed not very much in a hurry to open his eyes after locking and re-warding his office. His body still tingled from the after effects of being with the witch and given the circumstances, he seemed to relish their latest encounter minus the unseemly romantic perspective he knew almost instantly that she had been viewing what occurred in.

If he were to approach his actions from a logical stand-point he would have to deem his actions with the witch as reckless and largely unnecessary, given his status as a death eater and the peculiar situation the two of them found themselves in. Dumbledore had entrusted him to be the one to safe guard the young witch with assumption that his overall lack of interest in the girl would benefit her in the future when the war had been over and there was no preposterous law forcing their union.

As The Potions Professor sat contemplating in the darkness of his office, he found himself opening his eyes and coming to terms with what remained of his impulse action. He desired the young witch more than he had let on and the various rounds of unrestricted sex had not done him any favors in terms of keeping his emotions compartmentalized when it came to her.

Tucking his spent appendage back into his ebony trousers, Severus Snape didn't bother to delude himself with the promise of gaining better control over his base nature as his mind had already given him permission to bed the witch without much shame given that it had been his duty and it was all due to the Ministry Of Magic and his current employer.

In fact, he had been patiently calculating when the next encounter would occur even before he had found a way to justify it's necessity to himself.

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 _The Old Girl's Bathroom, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

Hermione had been unable to catch her breath as she entered the solitary bathroom where "Moaning Myrtle" had been keeping a keen eye on the students of Hogwarts from the occasional venture away from her preferred stall. Her mind had been racing as far as what had occurred between herself and the Potions Professor shortly before she found herself leaving his office.

When she ventured into the dungeons, she had in no way expected him to take her as he did, catching her completely by surprise and then dismissing her as if she had been of little importance to him despite his sating of his lust with her.

The young witch had half a mind to hex him for his callous behavior toward her but found that she couldn't truly be surprised by his lack of emotion when it came to anything pertaining to her aside from their new found sexual understanding.

Still, the ever brooding man in black had done things to her body that she could scarcely describe in terms of her very "adult" education. She would have been in denial if she had said that she didn't enjoy his brand of "love-making" it seemed to be born of his well documented frustration and former solitary existence, but it was more than enough to please her as it were.

Hermione had only been in the bathroom for a few moments before she noticed that there had been no sign of Moaning Myrtle. The young witch found it curious at first before a figure stepped out of the apparent shadows of the bathroom, prompting her to draw her wand.

She had been a fraction of a second too slow as she found herself pinned against a nearby stone wall. Unable to do anything aside from gasp, the bushy haired witch found herself face to face with her husband whom had been doing a bit of reflecting ever since she left his office. Without a word he pressed his harsh pale lips into her soft pink ones leaving her breathless in the wake of his lustful need.

He said nothing as he moved to rid her of her knickers for the second time that day. His eyes of obsidian blazing with an unstated need as he found himself undoing his trousers and slipping his enormous appendage back into the warm depths of his new bride. A low groan escaped him as his body grew tense and his lean ebony clad chest pressed against her smaller form keeping her off her feet and against the stone wall in the process.

"S...Severus..." moaned Hermione not even thinking about the ghost girl that haunted the bathroom ever since she had begun to frequent it.

The Potions Professor knew all too well where she'd be, enjoying the overpowering sense of accomplishment he felt due to having located her so easily.

While he had not been in favor of the marriage in theory, he had to admit that having a young willing witch on the end of his cock moaning in pleasure had been something of a perk when everything had been considered.

He had taken precautions of course, while one coupling could be justified via the marriage law's decree, taking the witch again so soon after had not been and Dumbledore had a habit of lurking about every corridor, when not in his office plotting his next attempt to cater to Potter or get The Potions Professor killed over the course of the war.

Hermione wrapped her arms around the rather height advantaged wizard unable to hold back her desire for him as he continued to have his way with her. Her rational mind knew nothing of the sudden waves of pleasure that filled her young body as she attempted to make sense of the undeniable friction their bodies created as her Potions Professor husband's enormous cock made it's presence known between her thighs.

"Oh..." she moaned catching his attention and oddly driving his need to thrust into her at a rapid pace.

Snape did his best to ignore her feeble mind's attempts to rationalize his new found appreciation for the physical aspects of their marriage as he continued to thrust into the young witch as she clung to him.

It wasn't long before he found himself in the verge of released, pulled rather involuntarily from him due to the girl having gotten hers following his frantic pacing. It had still been relatively early in the morning and classes were soon to begin following breakfast in The Great Hall.

A low grunt escaped the Potions Professor as he felt his knees buckle and his body weaken in the wake of his release.

"Fuck..." he grunted trying to catch his breath.

Hermione had been as covered in sweat and breathless as he had been in the wake of their second coupling that morning. She had not known what to make of his new found attraction to her but it pleased her to some degree that he had liked her so much.

Snape rolled his eyes at her childish reasoning behind his lustful approach to her. He released her back onto the floor and stepped away from her after she unwrapped her arms from around his neck.

"Severus..." she began.

"I suggest you get to class Miss Granger, before you are deemed late." he said in his usual Professor tone after adjusting his attire and ridding himself and her person of all evidence via a quick cleansing charm.

"But..." began the amber eyed witch as if she'd been expecting something from him.

Snape said not a word before exiting the bathroom and making his way toward his potions classroom.

Hermione sighed rather confused about the entire situation. She had not been alone for more than a few seconds before Moaning Myrtle came floating by her babbling about some insensitive monster hiding among the shadows and petrifying her.

The amber eyed witch shook her head now realizing what had happened to the ghost prior to her second encounter with her Potions Professor husband that day. After composing herself both mentally and physically, she had taken her husband's suggestion and made her way to class...which had been a good idea considering it had been Potions and she couldn't have put it past him to mark her as tardy just to ruin her day.


End file.
